Women's Cross Country | 10/3/2025 9:00:00 PM
Complete Results: Women | Men
CARY, N.C. (October 3, 2025) -- The Morgan State women's and men's cross country programs each earned sixth-place team finishes at the 2025 HBCU Cross Country Challenge, an event held in conjunction with the Great American Cross Country Festival — a major national invitational showcasing collegiate, high school, and middle school races from October 3–4.
The Lady Bears tallied 150 points in the 5K race, placing sixth among 11 competing squads. On the men's side, Morgan State collected 136 points in the 8K event to secure sixth place out of 10 teams.
Leading the way for the Lady Bears were Crystal Coke and Aaliyah Headley, who finished back-to-back in 20th and 21st place with times of 20:32.3 and 20:52.9, respectively. Not far behind, Natalia Eastman clocked 22:20.5 for 36th place, followed closely by Kayla More in 37th at 22:27.6 and Hemetii Apet in 39th at 22:35.0.
Rounding out Morgan State's top-50 finishes were Aiana Showell, placing 45th with a time of 24:12.2, and Sydney Monroe, who secured 49th at 24:41.2.
On the men's side, Caleb Mincey led the Bears with a 15th-place finish in 26:32.2. He was followed by Samuel Skinner, who finished in 27:12.0 for 22nd place, and Natnael Gebremariam, who took 25th in 27:57.4. Cameron Stuckless finished 36th with a time of 29:34.1, while Miguel Graham placed 47th in 30:48.6. Rounding out the lineup, Joshua Moore recorded a 32:32.8 for 54th.
Head Coach Neville Hodge praised both squads for their effort and growth while emphasizing the bigger picture:
"This weekend, the HBCU Great American XC Festival meet serves as our measuring stick for the 2025 MEAC Championships. We were challenged from the start of the race through the finish line, but it allowed us the opportunity to address the areas that we need to improve on for our next competition. We had a very impressive showing despite the results. The men had five members who recorded personal bests — Caleb Mincey, Natnael Gebremariam, Cameron Stuckless, Miguel Graham, and Joshua Moore — and remember, there are five freshmen on this team. Our best is still to come."
"On the women's side, we continue to see improvement every week. This meet showed us areas where we need to improve as we prepare for our conference championship. Six of our women ran season-best performances — Crystal Coke, Aaliyah Headley, Kayla More, Natalia Eastman, Hemetii Apet, Aiana Showell, and Sydney Monroe — and Crystal Coke earned a medal for her performance. We will continue to work on our weaknesses because we believe there is still room for growth. Go Bears."
Up next, the Bears will travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to compete in the Aubrey Shenk Invitational, hosted by Gettysburg College. The team will then shift focus toward the 2025 MEAC Cross Country Championship, scheduled for November 1 in Cary, N.C.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.