CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Fayetteville State women's cross country team competed in two events Friday, earning a runner-up finish in the Livingstone Cross Country Challenge before taking on a strong regional field at the Royals Challenge, hosted by Queens University.

Broncos Finish Second Behind Bell's Top-Five Performance
Fayetteville State opened the day with a second-place team finish, totaling 66 points behind meet champion Winston-Salem State (17 points). Bluefield State (86 points) rounded out the top three teams.

Senior Ashley Bell led the Broncos with a fifth-place finish in 20:24.0, recording a season-best performance. Sophomore Vivian Kiprono placed 13th in 22:25.1, while junior Videlma Jebet followed closely in 14th with a time of 22:25.5.

Senior Sierrah Matthews posted a personal-best mark of 24:30.6 to finish 22nd, while sophomore Kaliyah Jones recorded a personal-best 24:42.2 for 25th place. Junior Mikalyn Chambers also achieved a personal-best performance, crossing the line in 25:22.8 to finish 28th.

Fayetteville State Places 14th at Royals Challenge
Later in the day, the Broncos faced a deeper field at the Royals Challenge, finishing 14th overall with 363 points.

Catawba claimed the team title with 66 points, followed by Furman with 86 points and Davidson with 111 points.

Sophomore Faith Kiplimo paced Fayetteville State with an outstanding personal-best performance of 17:38.6, placing 11th overall among a highly competitive field.

The Broncos placed four additional runners inside the team's scoring group. Vivian Kiprono finished 98th in a personal-best 19:20.6, while Videlma Jebet posted a season-best 19:25.4 to place 102nd. Junior Pelisha Kosgei crossed in 19:26.6 for 103rd overall and a season-best mark, while sophomore Faith Rotich recorded a personal-best 19:33.5 to finish 111th.

The Broncos will now take a break from competition before traveling to Salem, Va., for the CIAA Cross Country Championships on Oct. 22. Fayetteville State will look to build on its strong performances throughout the season as it competes for conference honors.

For complete coverage of Fayetteville State cross country, visit FSUBroncos.com and follow the Broncos on social media.