Salem, VA – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is set to host its 2018 CIAA Women's and Men's Cross-Country Championships at the Green Hill Park in Roanoke Valley, Virginia on October 23, 2018.
Fayetteville State University is gearing up to defend it's first-ever Women's Title with a repeat performance under Head Coach Inez Turner.
The Broncos will be led by Nelly Kandie, the 2018 CIAA Women's Cross-Country Runner of the Year. Kandie, a junior from Eldoret, Kenya, has the CIAA's best women's 5K times this season at 19:23.20 and 20:15.50. Her best finish was at the HBCU Challenge (Great American XC Festival) on October 6th which was first amongst all Division II women's participants and fifth overall.
Last season's CIAA Runner of the Year Aleena Cruz (sophomore - Knightdale, NC) will be in close chase to ensure the victory.
Senior Richard Purdente-Bernal (Fayetteville, NC/Seventy-First HS) will challenge the course for another all-conference performance. This season, freshman add-on Charles Pumba (Knightdale, NC/Knightdale HS) has been setting the pace for the Broncos.
This year's championship will kick off with the women's 5k race at 12:00 p.m. and the men's 8k to follow at 1:30 p.m. ET. Thirteen men's and women's teams will report to Salem for the conference title. Recognition of the top three teams and top ten runners, and the women's and men's Coach of the Year will take place at the conclusion of both races. The 2018 CIAA Women's and Men's Cross-Country Championships are free and open to the public. For more meet information, visit https://bit.ly/2O0eiOa.
The CIAA has selected Salem, Virginia as the host for the CIAA Women's and Men's Cross-Country Championships through 2019. The CIAA's partnership with the Salem and Roanoke communities began in 2016 with the hosting of the CIAA Football Championship.
