NCCU First HBCU to Advance to NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Championship
WINGATE, N.C. -- North Carolina Central University made history Saturday (Nov. 4) by becoming the first HBCU to advance to the women's cross country national championship by winning the 2006 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship in Wingate, N.C.
In the women’s 6K race, NCCU had five runners in the top 20 to take the team win. The Eagles posted 61 points, easily outdistancing South Atlantic Conference member Lincoln Memorial University by 53 points. NCCU head coach Michael Lawson was named Southeast Region Coach of the Year following the meet.
"We are excited," Lawson said about winning the school's first regional cross country title. "The young ladies really wanted to make history, and they did today. It was very emotional."
Both NCCU and LMU will make their first appearances at the NCAA Nationals. The 2006 national meet will be held Saturday, November 18 in Pensacola, Fla. (hosted by the University of West Florida) during the NCAA Division II Fall Festival.
"We are running so tough right now," Lawson said. "We are going to make an impact at nationals too."
CIAA Runner of the Year freshman Ashley Cooke (Hampton, Va.) led the Lady Eagles by placing fifth with a 6K time of 23:57. It was a team effort for NCCU, as junior Yolanda Barber (eighth, 24:18), senior Aisha Brown (14th, 24:31), sophomore LaTanya Lesine (15th, 24:32) and freshman Desinia Johnson (19th, 24:49) all finished in the top 20. Other runners for NCCU were Erinn Brooks (22nd, 25:13) and Lakisha Gantt (67th, 26:57).
The top 15 finishers earned All-Southeast Region honors. North Carolina Central led the way with four runners (Cooke, Barber, Brown and Lesine) on the All-Region team. Mars Hill and Anderson University placed two runners each on the All-Region teams.
All total, 127 women completed the 6K race. After N.C. Central and Lincoln Memorial, the top five teams were Mars Hill (third, 123 points), Anderson (fourth, 143 points) and Wingate (fifth, 154 points).
Posted By: B. Dwight Foster, B.A., MS-MANAGEMENT
Sunday, January 14th 2007 at 2:47PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
