CIAA Cross Country Set for Championship Meet in Roanoke Valley, VA

Salem, Virginia – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is set to host its 2018 CIAA Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Championships at Green Hill Park in Roanoke Valley, Virginia on October 25, 2018. This year’s event will kick off with the women’s 5k race at 12:00 p.m. and the men’s 8k to follow at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Official Meet Information

Thirteen men’s and thirteen women’s teams will report to Salem for their 2018 championship debut as they race for the conference title. The women will run an 5,000-meter course and the men will complete their 8,000-meter contest at Green Hill Park. Immediately following the men’s race, a championship awards ceremony will be hosted by the conference. Recognition of the top women’s and men’s individual winners, top 3 women’s and men’s team finishes, and the women’s and men’s Coach of the Year will take place at that time. The 2018 CIAA Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Championships are free and open to the public. For more meet information, visit https://bit.ly/2O0eiOa.

As the 2018 CIAA Cross Country regular season closes, the conference with its Cross Country Coaches Association announces the season's Athletes of the Year. Nelly Kandie, a junior from Fayetteville State University, has been named the 2018 Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The Eldoret, Kenya native has marked the CIAA's best women's 5k times this season at 19:23.20 and 20:15.50 with her best finish occuring at the HBCU Challenge (Great Americacn XC Festival) on October 6, 2018. Her 5th place overall finish (including Division I athletes) was 1st amongst all Division II women's participants.

Freshman Baron Freeman of Saint Augustine's University has been selected the 2018 Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The top Division II runner in three meets this season, Freeman marked his best 8k time of the season, 25:20.40, at the ECU Pirate Invitational. The Virginia native has been named CIAA Men's XC Runner of the Week on four occassions, more than any other 2018 conference competitor.

At the beginning of the 2018 CIAA Cross Country season, three schools took on new leadership while the conference welcomed Claflin University and head coah Lincoln London to its membership. London is currently in his sixth season with the Panthers as the head men's and women's cross country/track and field coach. Returning to his alma mater, Wilson Bailey Jr., has taken the position at Lincoln University (PA) while Frantz Kwame-Smith has joined Shaw University and Charlotte Dinkins has taken over at Chowan University.

After taking over the helm of new CIAA programs last year, Inez Turner of Fayetteville State University and Wilbert Johnson of Virginia State University led their teams to 2017 CIAA Cross Country Championship titles. On the women's side, FSU battled with Winston-Salem State University for the championship title. At the finish, FSU took the lead with 35 points over WSSU. The victory marks the Broncos’ first-ever CIAA Women’s Cross Country Championship title. For the men, the 2017 season ended with a victory for the Trojans over the Panthers. Four VSU athletes landed in the Top Ten for a total of 39 team points. The victory marked the Trojan men's first title since 2008. Click HERE for the 2017 CIAA Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Championship results.

The CIAA has selected Salem, Virginia as the host for the CIAA Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Championships through 2019. The CIAA’s partnership with the Salem and Roanoke communities began in 2016 with the hosting of the CIAA Football Championship. For more information on CIAA events hosted in Roanoke County, visit https://bit.ly/2S7ra8t

About the CIAA

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first African American athletic conference and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and Winston-Salem State University. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. For more information on the CIAA Basketball Tournament, visit CIAATournament.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

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