WILMINGTON, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's cross country team finished second at the UNC Wilmington Beach Blast 5k on Friday evening while the men had historic individual finishes in the season opener.
Though NCCU was shorthanded on the men's side, that didn't stop the Eagles from finishing ahead of the pack individually. Meshack Kuyo continued his top race form from last season's outdoor competition as the first-place individual with a time of 15:13.9. Emmanuel Paddyfote wasn't far behind taking second, running 15:24.1. Both finished atop NCCU records since transitioning to Division I.
Corey Little (16:40.4) and Octavious Smith (17:36.8) were the final two Eagles to complete the race at 13th and 22nd, respectively. Due to not having at least five runners available, the men's squad did not record a team score.
The women's team earned 77 points for second place. Laila Jackson ran a new personal best of 19:31.4 for third.
Also finishing in the top 10 was junior college transfer Kayla Johnson (20:04.5) in her NCCU debut. Gianna Marquez (20:32.7) and Sharon Magut (20.40.9) were within one place of each other in the 16th and 17th slot. Taylor Hanson (23:21.1) completed the performance for NC Central finishing 35th.
Assistant track & field coach Darnell Almanzar sees the upside of both teams after the season opener.
"Overall, it was a good race to start the season," said Almanzar. "The men performed well and although we did not compete with a full squad, they showed grit and passion. The women ran smart and showed toughness as many of them passed multiple runners in the last half mile of the race. This helped us jump from third place to second as a team. I'm super proud of their effort today and I'm excited for the rest of the season."
Cross country will stay closer to home for their next race competing in the Adidas XC Challenge in Cary, N.C. on Sept. 20.
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