DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central will be one of eight schools vying for conference crowns at the MEAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on Saturday, Nov. 1. The women's 5K race begins at 11 a.m. followed by the men's 8K race at 12 p.m.

The championship meet will air live on ESPN+. In addition to live coverage, ESPN+ will feature interviews, post-race awards and trophy presentations. The top 15 finishers in each race will earn All-MEAC honors.

THE PARTICIPANTS
The Eagles' men's and women's teams will compete against Coppin State, Delaware State, Howard, Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State and South Carolina State.

NCCU NOTES

• The Eagles are atop the MEAC women's team rankings which is based on individual top times this season. NCCU is fourth in the MEAC men's team rankings. The rankings are on athletic.net.
• Three Eagles are ranked among the top five MEAC women's runners entering Saturday. Alitza Dennard is second, Kayla Johnson is third and Laila Jackson is ranked fifth. Navi McDowell is ranked 12^th, Gianna Marquez is ranked 18^th and Victoria Swepson is 21^st.
• Three NCCU runners are listed in the top 20 MEAC men's rankings. Ryan Chong is 13^th, Emmanuel Paddyfote is 14^th and Avan Hinkle ranks 17^th.
• The Eagles are very familiar with WakeMed Soccer Park, having competed there twice during the regular season. NCCU captured the women's 5K title in the Cedric Walker HBCU Challenge on Oct. 3, edging MEAC member Maryland Eastern Shore 62-66 in the 11-team race. NCCU placed four runners in the women's top 15 including Alitza Dennard, who finished sixth to lead the Eagles. NCCU fared well in the men's 8K race, placing second behind Fayetteville State in the 10-team event. Fayetteville State won with 32 points followed by NCCU, which held off UMES 72-77. Ryan Chong finished with a strong kick to claim seventh place for the Eagles.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFO
Norfolk State is the five-time defending MEAC men's champion. The Spartans have captured four of the last five MEAC women's titles, including the last two championships.

LAST YEAR
NCCU placed second with 59 points in the men's 8K championship race, finishing ahead of third-place Delaware State (67 points) and behind MEAC champion Norfolk State (27 points). The Eagles were led by Meshack Kuyo, who won the MEAC individual title.

Kuyo, Paddyfote (8^th) and Evans Kimutai (11^th) garnered All-MEAC honors.

The Eagles finished third in the women's 5K championship race with 91 points. Norfolk State was the winner with 25 points and Howard was runner-up with 39 points.

Johnson (11^th) and Jackson (12^th) were the Eagles' All-MEAC women performers.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.