Custom Search CARY, N.C. - Saint Augustine's University swept the 2013 CIAA Men's and Women's Cross Country titles for the second consecutive year at WakeMed Soccer Park on Thursday, October 24, 2013. The Falcons and Lady Falcons have combined to win over 150 cross country and track & field conference crowns under legendary Head Coach George Williams.
“Our student-athletes and [assistant coach] Sandy Chapman did a great job of bringing home both championships,” Williams said. “Chapman, being a premier cross country coach, made it happen.”
The Falcons, led by Torion Bailey's first-place finish, scored 47 points to place first in the 12-team men's 8K run. Virginia Union University was second with 58 points and Virginia State University was third with 80 points.
The Lady Falcons placed four runners in the top six to score 29 points for the easy victory in the women's 12-team 5K run. Virginia State, led by the first-place finish of Taylor-Ashley Bean, was second with 69 points and Winston-Salem State University was third with 76 points. The Lady Falcons have won or shared the CIAA crown four of the last six years.
“They worked hard all season,” Chapman said of the Falcons and Lady Falcons. “The goal was to win both CIAA championships, and every meet was a stepping stone in that direction.”
Bailey of St. Aug ran 25.58.14 in the men’s 8K race to cross the finish line first. Frank Charles of Virginia Union was second in 26.36.24 and Christopher Henry of Virginia State was third in 26.36.71. St. Aug beat Virginia Union on the strength of its depth. Five St. Aug runners including Bailey finished among the top 16. The other runners who scored for St. Aug were Jalen Robinson-McCoy in eighth place, Jameel Walcott in ninth place, Elhadji Mbow in 13th place and Kevaughn Hewitt in 16th place.
St. Aug relied its deep pool of runners to win the women’s race in a rout. Bean of Virginia State was the overall winner in 18:58.37 followed by three Lady Falcons. Skylar Wallen was second in 19:04.29, Fanta Fofana was third in 19:44.45 and Kelly Shaw was fourth in 19:56.50. Zikeena Parker placed sixth and Daisia Robinson was 14th to round out the Lady Falcons’ scoring.
“We knew what we had to do,” Bailey said about the St. Aug men’s and women’s teams. “Collectively, we came out as one and got the job done.”
The men’s All-CIAA team consisted of the top 10 runners in the 8K run. They were Bailey, Robinson-McCoy and Walcott of St. Aug, Emmanuel Nelfrard, Deandre Horton and Charles of Virginia Union, Henry of Virginia State, Kyle Edwards and Wilson Bailey of Lincoln (Pa.) University and Darius Berry of Shaw University.
The women’s All-CIAA team consisted of the top 10 finishers in the 5K run. They were Wallen, Fofana, Shaw and Parker of St. Aug; Jessica Davis, Shannon Lewis and Bean of Virginia State, Danisha Wiggins of Winston-Salem State, Daniaria Brice of Virginia Union and Shana Brown of Lincoln (Pa.).