SALISBURY, N.C. (Sept. 6, 2025) — Fayetteville State University's women's cross country team opened its 2025 season with a fourth-place finish at the Catawba Fleet Feet XC Invite, held Saturday morning at the Salisbury Community Park.

Freshman Faith Kiplimo led the Broncos with a standout debut, placing fourth overall in the 5K race with a time of 19:20.9, pacing Fayetteville State to a team total of 1:51:34 and an average time of 22:18.

Senior Brenda Cheboi followed with a time of 21:33.8, placing 18th, while Repline Cheptoo (22:19.3), Ashley Bell (22:41.3), and Holley Johnson (25:39.3) rounded out the scoring for the Broncos, who finished with 93 points.

Host Catawba College won the meet with a dominant performance, placing all five scorers in the top six and finishing with 17 points. Lincoln Memorial (63 points) and Concord (73) placed second and third, respectively

Catawba dominated the leaderboard with Hannah Caudill (JR) taking first place in 18:30.73, followed by Natalie Almond (SR) in second with 18:56.17, and Madison Clay (SR) in third at 19:04.40. 

The Broncos will return to action on Friday, September 12, at the Queen's City Invitational in Charlotte, NC. The meet will feature a competitive field and provide another opportunity for Fayetteville State to showcase its talent and progress.

For more information on Fayetteville State Athletics, visit FSUBroncos.com.