The Big 12 Cross Country Championship is one of two conference championships — the women’s golf tournament being the other — that has changed venues every year since the conference began in 1996.

Although Kansas University won’t sponsor the event, the team won’t be traveling too far from Lawrence — just a jaunt down Interstate 70 to the Stateland Cross Country Course in Topeka.

“We are looking forward to competing at the Big 12 Championships,” KU coach Stanley Redwine said. “We are rested and ready to go.”

The women’s 6K race will start at 10 this morning, followed the men’s 8K race at 11 a.m.

Kansas State will serve as the host school, but Colorado continually has served as conference king.

Colorado’s men’s team has won every Big 12 championship, while the CU women have won the last five years. The two squads, both undefeated, come into today’s event with 10 returning runners from last year’s squads.

The KU men’s team likely will be anchored by sophomore Benson Chesang, who placed third in the NCAA Pre-National meet on Oct. 16. Chesang had the best showing for Kansas last year at the conference championships with an 11th-place finish.

The men’s team won the Kansas State Invitational on Sept. 11, also held at Stateland, after five Jayhawks placed in the top ten.

For the KU women, senior Megan Manthe is the top returner from last year’s championship. Freshman Connie Abbott also could be a factor. Abbott finished 12th at the Kansas State Invitational.

The Kansas men finished fourth last year, and the women placed tenth.