Courtesy of the CIAA
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is set to host its 2022 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships on Thursday, October 27 at Green Hill Park in Salem, Virginia. The men’s championship meet will begin at 12 noon followed by the women’s championship at approximately 1:30 p.m.
The Fayetteville State women’s cross country team is looking to earn its fifth consecutive conference title while the Virginia State men are seeking its fourth league title in five years.
The 2021 championship meet saw the Broncos women place six runners in the top 16 spots to win the team title with 56 points. Inez Turner, the 2021 CIAA Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, returns three All-CIAA performers (Mercy Chemutai, Sierra Beasley, and Aaliyah Saunders) from last season. Chemutai finished fourth in the 2021 meet. The Broncos have three top-three finishes this season, including wins at the Blue Bears Cross Country Invitational and the Greensboro Cross Country Invitational.
Virginia State won the 2021 championship meet behind three Trojans that placed in the top 10. Wilbert Johnson, the 2021 Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, returns all three of those All-CIAA runners in 2022. Last season, Jalen Brownlee finished third, Elijah Johnson fourth, and Darrell Dyson 10th to guide the Trojans to 47 points and the crown. Virginia State enters the championship meet after winning three meets (Virginia State Fall Cross Country Opener, Virginia Union Cross Country Opener, and the Panther Invitational) this season.
Individually, Shaw’s Mathew Kiptum will be defending his 2021 men’s title this season. Kiptum will face stiff competition from runners such as the trio of Trojans, Bowie State’s Eric Thomas-Talley, the 2021 Men’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year, and Virginia Union’s Micah Kipruto, who won the conference’s individual men’s title in 2019
On the women’s side, Shaw’s Michelle Blaha seeks to earn her second consecutive individual conference title this year. Baha will have to outperform several 2021 All-CIAA performers, including her Bears’ teammate Viola Alisch, Chemutai, Winston-Salem State’s Vanessa Jones, and Virginia State’s Alandina Hyppolite.
For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. You can also like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and on Twitch. To get the latest updates on the 2022 CIAA Cross Country Championships, please visit HERE.
*Attendance for the 2022 CIAA Cross Country Champions is free to all. Masks are required for all non-participants and spectators.*
**Course Open for Team Walkthrough in October from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Men’s 8,000-Meter Championship Race
11:35 a.m. – Men’s competitors called to the start line (Approximately 25 minutes to start)
11:40 a.m. – National Anthem
11:45 a.m. – Begin clerking procedure
11:50 a.m. – Second call to the start line
11:55 a.m. – Start line cleared of all non-competitors (5 minutes to start)
11:57 a.m. – Runners at the start line for instructions
12:00 p.m. – Start of Men’s 8,000-meter championship race
Women’s 5,000-Meter Championship Race
1:10 p.m. – Women’s competitors called to the start line (Approximately 20 minutes to start)
1:15 p.m. – Begin clerking procedure
1:20 p.m. – Second call to the start line
1:25 p.m. – Start line cleared of all non-competitors (5 minutes to start)
1:27 p.m. – Runners at the start line for instructions
1:30 p.m. – Start of Women’s 5,000-meter championship race
Individual and Team Awards immediately following the Women’s Championship race.
