ROCKLIN, Calif. – The sound of the starter's gun on September 7 signaled the dawn of a new era as the Warriors raced into year one of Division II in 2024. A season that took the Warriors across Northern California ended two months later for two athletes in Indiana.
 
The inaugural Division II season saw the Warriors race seven times, with four of those races drawing close to home in Northern California.
 
Jessup made its official Division II debut on September 7 when they raced in Sonoma State's Seawolf Invite. The meet took the Warriors down to Fresno and Woodward Park, the host of the PacWest Championship in 2023. The race was special for six Warriors as they made their collegiate debut, dawning Jessup's new look of navy and bright blue.
 
"It was great to be back in uniform and racing again for the first time this year," said head coach Jeff Magley. "It was really fun for the team to be at Woodwork Park, which is a historic cross country course down here."
 
The season then brought the Warriors to an annual stop on the schedule, the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational in Ceres. The race pitted Jessup against four other Division II programs.
 
After two races away from Rocklin, the season then came to Jessup.
 
On September 28, Jessup hosted its annual Jessup Invitational. Only the Jessup men were in action, and they took full advantage of the limelight, finishing first on their home course. To go with the meet victory, Jessup was named the PacWest Team of the Week, giving Cross Country the honor of being the first team to win the award in Jessup's newest conference.
 
Two Warriors, Zachary Heberlein and Devon Hammeke, placed in the top five at the Jessup Invitational.
 
Jessup then made their way to the Bay Area for back-to-back weeks, beginning with the San Francisco State Invitational in Golden Gate Park and ending with the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale.
 
Five meets into the season, Jessup faced its toughest test as awaiting the Warriors was a trip to OC Great Park in Irvine for the PacWest Championship. Cross country, along with golf and track & field, holds the distinction of being the only sports eligible to compete in the conference championship during Jessup's provisional NCAA membership.
 
Running with the best of the PacWest, the Warriors posted four PRs to end their first PacWest Championship.
 
"I think this was a great experience for our teams to get a feel for what this will look like moving forward compared to previous seasons in the GSAC," said Magley.
 
For two Warriors, the season carried on. Cheyenne Ullrich joined Heberlein as the Warriors' two qualifiers for the NCCAA National Championship. The two made their way to Indiana for the season's final race. Ullrich set a new 5k PR, and Heberlein placed in the top 60.
 
The Warriors were able to gain a glimpse into Division II and the PacWest in 2024. With the start of the 2025 season coming soon, Jessup will be ready to take their next step in this new era.
   
Jessup University is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Instagram & X).