CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Bethune-Cookman men's and women's cross country teams each turned in a pair of top 30 showings on Friday evening, with the Wildcats competing in the Royals Challenge at McAlpine Pancake Course. The event was hosted by Queens University of Charlotte.
Bethune-Cookman Women's Cross Country registered a 27th place showing with 806 points, while the men scored 836 points to tie for 28th alongside Central State.
In the women's race, which was run as a 5K event, sophomore
Nyidjah Ives led the way for the Maroon and Gold, as the Kissimmee, Florida native crossed the finish line in a time of 21:26.78. She would earn a 177th place showing in a tightly contested field of 244 runners.
Not far behind Ives was teammate
Valencia Butler scoring a time of 21:40.41 to finish 182nd. Teammate
Indya Campbell posted a 184th place finish with her time of 21:46.30, respectfully.
Caliyah Gee (26:04.80) and
Jordan Singletary (28:09.05) rounded out the scorers for the Wildcats in the women's race.
Milligan took top honors for the women's teams with 77 points, followed by Wingate (99 pts) in second, and a tie for third between College of Charleston and Furman each with 104 points. Madelynne Cadeau (17:14.90) of Furman was the individual race winner.
Over on the men's race, taking place as an 8K event, BCU freshman
Duane Lee led the Wildcats in back-to-back races with the fastest time, as the Orange Park, Florida product crossed in a time of 28:34.82, allowing him to finish 189th in the field of 275 competitors overall.
Da'Quon King finished 243rd with a final time of 30:47.13, followed by brother
Ja'Quon King in 246th with his mark of 31:00.77 on the evening.
It would be Wildcats teammates
Damaris Robinson (34:06.83) and
Jonathan Gaines (34:12.79) crossing just behind each other, while
Christian Taylor (37:29.07) was the final BCU runner competing for the men.
Milligan (52 pts) walked away with the men's first place award, followed in order by Davis & Elkins (104) and Wake Forest (107) to complete the top three schools. Meanwhile, Milligan's Will Stockley (24:30.11) was the fastest individual male runner in the race.
Bethune-Cookman concludes the 2023 season Monday, Oct. 23, when the Wildcats travel to Apalachee Regional Park for the second time this season to take part in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.
Follow Bethune-Cookman Cross Country on Twitter (
@BCUTrackXC) and Instagram (
@BCUXCTF) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (
@BCUAthletics), Instagram (
@BCU_Athletics) and
BCUathletics.com.
Men's Team Results (8K)
1. Milligan___________________ 52
2. Davis & Elkins_____________ 104
3. Wake Forest______________ 107
4. Wingate__________________ 123
5. Cumberlands______________ 144
T28. Bethune-Cookman_________ 836
30 teams competed
BCU Individual Results (8K)
188.
Duane Lee____________ 28:34.82
242. Da'Quon King_________ 30:47.13
245. Ja'Quan King__________ 31:00.77
262.
Damaris Robinson______ 34:06.83
263.
Jonathan Gaines_______ 34:12.79
272.
Christian Taylor________ 37:29.07
275 runners competed
Women's Team Results (5K)
1. Milligan___________________ 77
2. Wingate___________________ 99
T3. College of Charleston________ 104
T3. Furman__________________ 104
T5. Charlotte_________________ 212
T5. Wake Forest______________ 212
27. Bethune-Cookman_________ 806
29 teams competed
BCU Individual Results (5K)
177.
Nyidjah Ives___________ 21:26.78
182.
Valencia Butler_________ 21:40.41
184.
Indya Campbell________ 21:46.30
235.
Caliyah Gee___________ 26:04.80
239.
Jordan Singletary_______ 28:09.05
243 runners competed