The cross country season kicks off for several area teams with the IMS Early Bird Meet today. It’s a pretty big field and IMS Head Coach Marty Gingerich says the field can vary from season to season. He says last season they hosted the conference meet so several conference schools ran in it to see the course. He says this year some of them are back. He also says Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Muscatine have been coming and this year Iowa City High asked to run in it. Gingerich says having three 4A schools running at a small school’s meet is kind of unique. IMS won the boys’ state in 1A last season, this season they enter ranked #2 in the preseason poll, Wapello a conference school is ranked #3 they will also be at the meet and Lone Tree is there, the Lions are ranked #10.