The chances for another CIAA championship are looking good for women’s cross country at N.C. Central University.

“The women have to stay ‘tight,’ meaning they have to finish in the top 15 of all the runners in the conference to win another championship,”said Michael Lawson, head coach of the women’s and men’s cross country teams. “The men just have to get better mileage and get healthier to win this year.”

Coach Lawson recruited a group of runners for both the men’s and women’s cross country teams.

The Lady Eagles welcome Lakisha Gantt of Washington, D.C. and LaTanya Lesine of Durham.

The Eagles welcome Reginald Lochard of New York, Adam Cofield of Virginia, Gerald Jones of Raleigh, and Marlon White of Delaware.

“The newcomers must try to listen, make good judgment and follow the upperclassmen to excel in this sport,” said Lawson.

The reigning CIAA champion women’s cross country team already has two wins under its belt.

The Lady Eagles took first place at the Wingate Cross Country Invitational last Saturday in Wingate.

Yolanda Barber, sophomore distance runner, topped the Eagles’ performance by receiving sixth place in the individuals. Barber, the two-time defending conference champion, finished the 6k-course in 24 minutes and 48 seconds, just 21 seconds shy of the fifth place winner.

NCCU also had six of the top 30 runners with freshman runner Ashley Cooke placing eighth, junior runner Aisha Brown placing twelfth, and freshmen runners LaTanya Lesine placing fifth-tenth and Desinia Johnson finishing ninth-tenth.

The Lady Eagles also captured a win in the UNC Pembroke Cross Country Invitational on September 9 at Luther Britt Park in Lumberton.

Barber stole the spotlight by snatching a first place win in individual competition.

The women’s cross country topped five of the 10 runners in the invitational with Ashley Cooke placing third and Desinia Johnson placing fifth, LaTanya Lesine placing seventh, and Aisha Brown placing tenth.

“They just have to keep doing what they’re doing to stay on top,” said Lawson.

The men’s cross country team is looking for the spotlight with a CIAA championship of their own this year.

Men’s cross country participated in the Wingate Cross Country Invitational last Saturday as well. The Eagles placed twelfth out of 13 teams.

Robert Curington, sophomore middle distance runner, led the Eagles with a forty-fourth place finish.

The men also traveled to the UNC Pembroke Cross Country Invitational on September 9.

NCCU men placed fifth out of six teams in the meet. Curington once again led the Eagles with an eighth-place finish.

“Our men’s team is enduring a few injuries and we’re not that strong in talent, so I hope they get the hint that we have to work hard to get better as team this year to excel,” said Lawson.