Charlotte, NC – The Fayetteville State women's cross country team opened its 2026 campaign with a sixth-place finish at Friday's meet, totaling 212 points against a strong field featuring NCAA Division I and Division II competition.

Elon claimed the team title with 19 points, followed by Charlotte in second with 58 points and North Florida in third with 84 points. Marshall (105 points) and Queens (N.C.) (203 points) rounded out the top five ahead of Fayetteville State.

The Broncos were led by standout Faith Kiplimo, who placed 18th overall and paced the team with a time of 18:16.9 over the 4.8-kilometer course.

A tight pack of Broncos followed as Videlma Jebet finished 63rd in 19:53.6, Vivian Kiprono placed 65th in 19:56.2, Pelisha Kosgei crossed the line 68th in 20:00.2, and Faith Rotich rounded out Fayetteville State's scoring runners with a 71st-place finish in 20:12.7.

Sierrah Matthews finished with a time of 26:59.2, while Kaliyah Jones finished in 28:38.5.

Fayetteville State will have nearly two weeks to prepare for its next competition when the Broncos travel to Kernersville, N.C., for the Rams Atlantic Region Preview, hosted by Winston-Salem State University, on Friday, Sept. 25. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex.