Baylor’s cross-country team will kick off the 2012 season on Friday with the Bear Twilight Invitational at the Heart of Texas Soccer Complex in Waco.

The meet will begin at 7 p.m. with the Baylor women competing in the 4,000-meter loop, followed by the men’s 6,000-meter loop.

“It looks like it is going to be hot, but we are looking forward to running Friday night,” head coach Todd Harbour said.

The 2011 invitational reached a scorching 101 degrees, and the weather during this year’s meet is expected to be just as hot.

The Baylor Lariat sports desk sounds off on Dez Bryant, the Big 12 and Baylor…

Baylor’s men’s rugby club is in the Allied Rugby Conference, but it belonged to a different conference in 2011.

Last year, the Baylor rugby club was in the Southwest Rugby Conference.

However, Baylor remains on the Southwest schedule, and the league still considers Baylor a member.

Baylor, along with Texas and Sam Houston State, left the Southwest this offseason for the Allied Rugby Conference.

Texas’ and Sam Houston’s resignations from the Southwest were approved by the league, while Baylor’s was not.

Baylor volleyball’s current class of freshmen was rated as the No. 16 recruiting class in the nation by to Prepvolleyball.com.

With the infusion of freshman talent, the team needs veteran leadership to guide it through the grueling season.

Senior setter Kate Harris is the backbone of the team, and the team relies on Harris for her leadership and inspiration.

“She’s the heart and soul of this team,” Baylor head coach Jim Barnes said. “Hard work is her middle name. She’s always the first to practice and the last to leave.”

I would like to imagine that when people see the University of Texas ranked No. 15 in the country, they laugh, roll their eyes and throw away whatever news source gave them such a standing.

They lost to every ranked team they played and then also lost to Missouri, finished the Big 12 season 4-5 and nearly missed bowl eligibility for the second year in a row.

I know its defense was pretty good, but it was this same defense that gave up 55 points to Oklahoma, 38 to Oklahoma State at home and 48 to Baylor in the rain.

The No. 24 Baylor soccer team split the two games on its California road trip this weekend. The Bears won at Cal State Northridge on Friday night 2-1. Baylor then traveled to No. 15 Long Beach State and lost a 2-1 heartbreaker in overtime.

Let’s go on a road trip.

We’re going to start out taking a break for two days before heading to Nebraska.

After that, we will go to Denver and then to Zion.

We like it so much there that we stay for four days before traveling back to Nebraska and staying there for two days.

Do you know where we end up in this road trip game?

Neither do the New York Jets…

The Baylor volleyball team entered the Fairfield Inn North Baylor Classic with inexperience and questions. After going undefeated in three matches while playing as many as five freshmen at one time, Baylor volleyball has a platform of optimism to build from.