Women's Cross Country | 10/9/2025 5:23:00 PM

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central closes out the regular season at the Royals Cross Country Challenge in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday, Oct. 10. The Women's 5K Gold race starts at 5 p.m. and the Men's 8K Gold race begins at 5:45 p.m. at McAlpine Creek Park.

THE PARTICIPANTS
The women's 5K teams are Augusta, Belmont Abbey, Benedict, Brevard, Catawba, Charlotte, The Citadel, Cleveland Community College, Coker, Emory & Henry, Erskine, Fayetteville State, Ferrum, Furman, Georgia College, Greensboro, Jacksonville, Johnson & Wales (N.C.), Lander, Lenoir-Rhyne, Louisburg College, Marietta, Mars Hill, Meredith, North Greenville, Northern Michigan, Pfeiffer, Presbyterian, Salem (N.C.), Shaw, Southern Wesleyan, UNC Pembroke, UVa.-Wise, Wallace State, Wingate, Young Harris and host school Queens (N.C.) in addition to NCCU.

The men's 8K competitors include Augusta, Belmont Abbey, Benedict, Brevard, Catawba, Charlotte, The Citadel, Cleveland Community College, Coker, Emory & Henry, Erskine, Fayetteville State, Ferrum, Georgia College, Greensboro, Jacksonville, Johnson & Wales (N.C.), Lander, Lenoir-Rhyne, Louisburg College, Marietta, Mars Hill, North Greenville, Pfeiffer, Presbyterian, Shaw, Southern Wesleyan, Tusculum, UNC Pembroke, UVa.-Wise, Wallace State, Washington & Lee, Wingate, Young Harris and host school Queens (N.C.) in addition to NCCU.

The teams will either compete in the unlimited Blue division or the Gold division, which includes up to 10 runners per team. The times for the Blue division races are 3:30 p.m. for the women's 5K and 4:15 p.m. for the men's 8K.

LAST YEAR
Individual winner Meshak Kuyo led NCCU to a sixth-place finish out of 21 teams in the men's Gold 8K race at the Royals Cross Country Challenge on Oct. 11, 2024. NCCU was 15^th out of 20 teams in the women's Gold 5K race.

LAST WEEK
NCCU captured the women's 5K title in the Cedric Walker HBCU Challenge on Oct. 3, 2025. The Eagles edged fellow MEAC member Maryland Eastern Shore 62-66 in the 11-team race in Cary, N.C. NCCU placed four runners in the women's top 15 including Alitza Dennard, who finished sixth to lead the Eagles.

NCCU fared well in the men's 8K race, placing second behind Fayetteville State in the 10-team event. Fayetteville State won with 32 points followed by NCCU, which held off UMES 72-77. Ryan Chong finished with a strong kick to claim seventh place for the Eagles.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.