DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central will compete at the 2026 MEAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships on Friday, Oct. 30, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The men's 8K race starts at 11 a.m. followed by the women's 5K race at 12 p.m.

The MEAC Cancer Awareness 5K Run will be held at the same site prior to the conference championships from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Registration is available on the MEAC website (meacsports.com) and the cross country page of the NCCU athletic website (nccueaglepride.com).

The NCCU men are led by two-time MEAC runner of the week Aaron Alukunyang while the Eagles' women are paced by Sharon Magut, Navi McDowell and Cynthia Koech. Alukunyang has the MEAC's top 8K time at 24.08.0 while Magut ranks fourth, McDowell sixth and Koech 12^th among the conference women's 5K runners.

Alukunyang is seeking to become the second Eagles' runner to win the men's 8K championship race. Former standout Meshack Kuyo captured the title in 2024 with a MEAC championship-record time of 23:18.2. An Iten, Kenya, native, Alukunyang won all four of his regular-season races this fall to tie Kuyo for the most single-season victories by an NCCU runner in the Division I era.

Alukunyang is among several contenders for the men's 8K championship. Clinton Kipruto of Norfolk State ranks second in the MEAC with a time of 24:10.4 and Tinashe Bure of South Carolina State ranks third at 24:12.7. Six-time defending champion Norfolk State is favored to claim the men's team title based on the season-best times of every MEAC runner.

Led by Magut, McDowell and Koech, NCCU is projected to finish third in the women's 5K championship. All three runners posted personal bests at the Upstate Invite on Oct. 17 with Magut finishing in 19:05.2, McDowell in 19:12.6 and Koech in 20:24.6. McDowell was named MEAC Runner of the Week after placing 15^th out of 50 competitors at the Lancer Pink Invitational on Oct. 9.

Defending champion Howard is predicted to win the women's team 5K crown followed by Delaware State and NCCU.

NCCU is the host team at the MEAC Championships for the second consecutive year. In 2025, the Eagles' men and women both took home third-place plaques and four runners, including McDowell, earned All-MEAC honors for placing among the top 15 in their respective races.

The Eagles are familiar with the WakeMed Soccer Park course, having competed there each season including the Adidas Cross Country Challenge on Sept. 18. Alukunyang was victorious in the men's 6K race while Koech and McDowell each improved their 5K times by approximately two minutes.

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