WILMINGTON, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University cross country teams opened up the 2022 season at the UNCW Beach Blast 5k on Friday night with all five Eagle ladies placing in the top-20 to garner a runner-up team finish while three NCCU rookie men's runners posted program record-setting times in their collegiate debuts.
Sophomore
Victoria Swepson, who earned All-MEAC honors as a rookie last season, started her second campaign with the maroon and gray with NCCU's top individual performance at the UNC Beach Blast. Swepson posted a 5k personal record (PR) time of 18:48 to claim third place honors out of 31 women's finishers, which was 51 seconds faster than her previous best time last season.
NCCU women's cross country finished second out of five scoring teams with its next three runners crossing the finish line in the upper half of the field at 12th, 13th and 14th overall. The freshmen duo of
Jadiza Jimenez (20:46) and
Laila Jackson (20:47) concluded their first collegiate competition just one second apart while sophomore
Taylor Hanson (20:50) followed just a few steps behind them. Sophomore
Mylena Beckham (21:38) completed NCCU's scoring less than a minute later in 17th place.
Hanson's time was also a PR while Beckham joined Jimenez and Jackson in setting her 5k benchmark time in her first collegiate cross country race.
On the men's side, the freshmen trio of
Octavious Smith (16:22),
Corey Little (16:22) and
Emmanuel Paddyfote (16:25) all clocked in within three seconds of each other to secure ninth, 10th and 11th place, respectively, for the Eagles out of 37 finishers. Those three 5k times are setting a new program modern era 5k standard for the young squad.
Junior
Melchoir Ellis was NCCU's fourth men's runner to traverse the course, finishing in a 5k benchmark time of 18:06. The Eagles only sent four men's runners to Wilmington so NCCU did not have a team score.
The host Seahawks won both team titles. Ann Marie Pierce (Without Limits) won the women's individual title in 16:49 while Mount Olive's Tsegay Aman secured the men's crown in 15:27.
NC Central will next complete in the adidas XC Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Friday, Sept. 16.
NCCU WOMEN'S 5K INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (31 Finishers)
3.
Victoria Swepson (18:48.71)
12.
Jadiza Jimenez (20:46.16)
13.
Laila Jackson (20:47.59)
14.
Taylor Hanson (20:50.78)
17.
Mylena Beckham (21:38.06)
NCCU MEN'S 5K INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (37 Finishers)
9.
Octavious Smith (16:22.01)
10.
Corey Little (16:22.81)
11.
Emmanuel Paddyfote (16:25.00)
22.
Melchoir Ellis (18:06.88)
WOMEN'S 5K TEAM RESULTS
1. UNCW (26)
2. NC Central (59)
3. Mount Olive (79)
4. NC Wesleyan (119)
5. Chowan (150)
MEN'S 5K TEAM RESULTS
1. UNCW (27)
2. Mount Olive (59)
3. Without Limits Club (77)
4. NC Wesleyan (140)
5. Chowan (160)
No Team Score – NC Central (4 finishers)
