MEAC Cross Country Championships Set for Saturday

NORFOLK, Virginia — The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Delaware State will host the 2018 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Delaware State University Outreach and Research Center in Smyrna, Del.

The championships will begin with the women’s five-kilometer (5K) race at 9:45 a.m., with the men’s eight-kilometer (8K) race following at 10:30 a.m. The top 15 finishers in each race will be named All-MEAC.

On the women’s side, Florida A&M is looking for its unprecedented seventh straight championship, while Norfolk State’s Martha Bissah is looking to repeat as individual champion after winning in record-setting time last season. Emmax Kiplagat currently holds the conference’s fastest 5K time; she ran a 17:12.80 in the Gator Invitational back on Sept. 22.

In fact, the Lady Rattlers claim the four fastest times in the MEAC this season.

MEAC Cross Country Championship Central

Maryland Eastern Shore’s Mercy Chemutai, who has won three times this season, has the MEAC’s fifth-fastest time at 18:49.40, which she ran at the Pre-Conference Run on Oct. 6.

Bissah has yet to post a 5K time this season, having run – and won – 4K and 6K events.

The Norfolk State men claimed their first MEAC cross country crown since 2011 last season, placing four runners in the top five. Florida A&M holds the six fastest 8K times of the season, with the Spartans’ Festus Bett – who was All-MEAC in 2017 – holding the seventh-fastest time with the 25:55.50 he ran at the East Carolina Pirate Invitational.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, MEAC student-athletes will wear pink racing bibs and head coaches will wear pink ribbon pins during the championships. The MEAC also encourages fans to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

On Friday, Oct. 26, the MEAC will team up with Delaware State to host the fourth annual Power of the PINK Run/Walk. The event supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Participants will receive a free T-shirt, with a $10 donation, and are encouraged to show their support by wearing pink attire.

Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the DSU Wellness & Recreation Center, with the event scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. All proceeds will go to local breast cancer research organizations.

The 2018 MEAC Cross Country Championships are free and open to the public.

The Delaware State University Outreach and Research Center is located at 884 Smyrna-Leipsic Road in Smyrna, Del.

For complete men’s and women’s cross country championship information, visit Championship Central at www.MEACsports.com.

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) begins its 48th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2018-19 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 12 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.

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