FARMVILLE, Va. – Aaron Alukunyang captured his fourth consecutive victory while Navi McDowell and Sharon Magut placed among the top 16 runners for North Carolina Central at the Lancer Pink Invitational at Longwood Golf Course on Friday.

Alukunyang became the first Eagles' runner to open a season with four straight wins since NCCU became a full MEAC member in 2011. He also tied former standout Meshack Kuyo, the 2024 MEAC 8K champion, for the most victories by an NCCU Division I runner in a single season.

Alukunyang ran a time of 24:34.2 in the men's 8K race, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of runner-up Kovyk Chandler of Southern Virginia. Evans Kimutai of NCCU placed 21^st in 28:49.9 in the 42-runner field.

In the women's 5K race, McDowell finished 15^th in 20:18.3 and Magut was 16^th with a personal-best time of 20:20.8. Cynthia Koech placed 26^th in 21:25.7 in the 50-runner field.

UP NEXT
The NCCU men and women will run in the Upstate Invite, their final meet of the regular season, on Oct. 17 in Spartanburg, S.C., at 9 a.m. The Eagles will compete in the MEAC Championships in Cary, N.C., two weeks later.

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