SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The North Carolina Central University cross country teams competed in the largest competition of the 2023 regular season on Saturday morning when the Eagles ran in the Upstate Invitational hosted by USC Upstate at the Milliken Research Park.
 
NCCU finished 20th overall in both the women's 5k and the men's 8k. The demanding race featured 32 women's programs and 27 men's programs in the team competition as the large and talented field was previewing the Milliken cross country course that will also serve as the host site of the NCAA Southeast Regional slated for Nov. 10.
 
Senior Rachel Ozio, who had never competed for the maroon and gray before, had NCCU's top finish and best 5k time of the season. Ozio finished the race in an even 19 minutes, which was good to place in the upper third of the field in 77th out of 279 finishers.
 
Junior Zinash Valen (19:41) and sophomore Laila Jackson (19:51) also broke the 20-minute barrier for the Eagles as they also finished in top half of the competition. Sophomores Gianna Marquez (20:02) and Jadiza Jimenez (20:42) both tallied 5k personal record times to out NCCU's top-5 scoring runners.
 
Graduate student Laderique McNeill paced the NCCU men's cross country team to the 8k finish line for a second straight week. McNeill clocked in at 26:23 for 102nd place out of 275 finishes.
 
Also scoring for the Eagles were sophomore Emmanuel Paddyfote (27:12), freshman Donald Moore (27:42), sophomore Corey Little (27:59) and freshman Ryan Chong (28:48). Moore joined fellow rookie Elmore Johnson III (35:27) with new 8k PR times.
 
NC Central will next race in the 2023 MEAC Cross Country Championships that will be hosted by Delaware State University on Saturday, Oct. 28.  
 
NCCU WOMEN'S 5K RESULTS (279 Finishers)
77. Rachel Ozio (19:00.1)
125. Zinash Valen (19:41.2)
137. Laila Jackson (19:51.5)
146. Gianna Marquez (20:02.0) - PR
185. Jadiza Jimenez (20:42.8) – PR
240. Mylena Beckham (22:14.7)
241. Taylor Hanson (22:17.6)
 
NCCU MEN'S 8K RESULTS (275 Finishers)
102. Laderique McNeill (26:23.7)
150. Emmanuel Paddyfote (27:12.3)
175. Donald Moore (27:42.6) - PR
193. Corey Little (27:59.0)
220. Ryan Chong (28:48.0)
270. Elmore Johnson III (35:27.8) - PR
275. Ocir Black (40:41.4)
 
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