CARY, N.C. – Saint Augustine’s University is the top program in the CIAA again.
St. Aug claimed the men’s 8K and women’s 5K crowns at the CIAA Cross Country Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. The titles are the 42nd in school history, but the first since the name changed from college to university for the Falcons and Lady Falcons. St. Aug has won over 150 CIAA cross country and track and field championships combined under legendary head coach George Williams.
The Falcons scored 48 points in men’s race followed by Virginia State with 83 points and Bowie State with 106 points. The Lady Falcons edged defending champion Winston-Salem State 44-48 in the women’s race with Virginia State coming in third with 68 points.
Andrew Chebii of Winston-Salem State was the men’s 8K individual winner. He crossed the finish line in 25:01.6 for his third straight league title. Taylor-Ashley Bean of Virginia State won the women’s 5K run in 19:27.9.
The Falcons placed five runners among the top 22 finishers in the men’s race. Torion Bailey and Marcelis Lynch placed second and third, respectively, and Joshua Robinson-McCoy was seventh. Jameel Walcott was 14th and John King, Jr. was 22nd for the Falcons, who won their first team championship since 2006.
The Lady Falcons had five of the top 19 runners in the women’s race. Zikeena Parker was second followed by Skyler Wallen in third. Cherrisse Lynch placed eighth, Daisia Robinson was 12th and Jasmine Cobbs finished 19th for the Lady Falcons, who last won the conference crown in 2009.
The trio of Bailey, Lynch and Robinson-McCoy of the Falcons and Chebii of WSSU made the All-CIAA men’s squad. The team also consists of Franck Charles of Virginia Union, Darius Berry of Shaw, Kyle Edwards of Lincoln (Pa.), Rehema Chick Ndjami of Bowie State, Prince Owusu-Mensah of Virginia State and Ernest Hawkins of Fayetteville State.
The threesome of Parker, Wallen and Lynch in addition to Bean of VSU earned All-CIAA women’s honors. The team includes Samantha Edwards of Virginia State, Kristi Baptiste of Winston-Salem State, Shannon Lewis of Virginia State, Shana Brown of Lincoln (Pa.), Aquila Jones of Winston-Salem State and Tyrah Winfrey of Winston-Salem State.
— Sports Information Office
