DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University cross country teams will begin its 2023 racing season with the Eagles third consecutive appearance in the UNCW Beach Blast at Olsen Park in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Friday, Sept. 8.
 
The opening run of the campaign will be a flat 5k for both NCCU squads. The men toe the start line first at 7:30 p.m., and the women are slated to begin their 3.1-mile race at 8 p.m.
 
A total of nine cross country programs are entered to compete at the UNCW Beach Blast. Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Louisburg College, University of Mount Olive, North Carolina Wesleyan University, Shaw University and William Peace University will join the Eagles and the host Seahawks.
 
The NCCU men's team won the UNCW Beach Blast in 2021 and the women's team has a pair of runner-up finishes in Wilmington the past two seasons.
 
NCCU women's cross country is returning its top six finishers at the 2022 MEAC Cross Country Championships. Those Eagles combined for NCCU's best finish (4th) in the league race since joining the conference in 2011.
 
Junior Victoria Swepson (Durham, N.C.), a two-time All-MEAC honoree, has finished third individually in the UNCW Beach Blast in both 2021 and 2022. Last year, Swepson has NCCU's top female time on that course with a 5k PR of 18:48.
 
A young NCCU women's cross country team returns a total of five letter winners that have already represented the maroon and gray at the UNCW Beach Blast. Along with Swepson, juniors Taylor Hanson (Concord, N.C.) and Mylena Beckham (Charlotte, N.C.) joined sophomores Laila Jackson (Avondale, La.) and Jadiza Jimenez (Spring Hope, N.C.) with counting times at Olsen Park as the Eagles finished in second place.
 
Sophomore Gianna Marquez (Deer Park, N.Y.) did not run in Wilmington last year, but she did become an impact runner for the Eagles last season and looks to continue to be an impact runner in 2023.
 
NCCU has arguably its deepest women's cross country roster in a long time with the addition of three newcomers in junior transfer Zinash Valen (Owatonna, Minn.) and the freshman duo of Micah Watts and T'Sheylah Moore, who are both from Charlotte. Valen brings a strong collegiate resume to Durham as a two-time juco all-region honoree at Iowa Central Community College, where she qualified and competed in the NJCAA National Championship.
 
On the men's side, a group of five newcomers will be putting on an NCCU bib for the first time. They will join a pair of strong sophomore letter winners in Emmanuel Paddyfote (Belmont, N.C.) and Corey Little (Rolesville, N.C.).
 
Paddyfote was NCCU's top individual runner in the last three races of his rookie campaign, including his ninth place result at the MEAC Championships to earn All-MEAC honors. Little was a top-3 scoring runner for NCCU in every race last season and will look to build on it after a strong spring on the track.
 
At the UNCW Beach Blast, Little and Paddyfote crossed the finish line within three seconds of each other last season to finish 10th and 11th, respectively, in their collegiate debuts.
 
Graduate student Laderique McNeill (Bunnlevel, N.C.) is the only transfer for the Eagles, but he will be the most experience collegiate runner for either NCCU team this season from his time undergraduate time at Campbell University and North Carolina State University. McNeill, who had a strong prep career, was an all-conference runner at Campbell, helping the Camels win a league title. He has also racked up awards and achievements in track and field.
 
A group of four freshmen in Ryan Chong (Asheville, N.C.), Donald Moore (Charlotte, N.C.), Elmore Johnson III (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Ocir Black (Winston-Salem, N.C.) round out the NCCU men's roster and they will all looked upon to help contribute much needed depth throughout the season.
 
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