Tougaloo College claims 2024 HBCUAC Title, Wiley's Goldsby wins individual title
DANVILLE, Ala. – Tougaloo College had five runners place in the top-15 to capture the 2024 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship on Friday at Oakville Indian Mounds in Danville, Ala. The title is the first for the Bulldogs, who scored 44 points, finishing with a team time of 2:35:42.
Javoun Goldsby ran away with the men's individual title with a first-place time of 29:09.70 in the men's 8K race. The win marked a personal best for Goldsby, who dominated the conference this year with six runner of the week honors. Goldsby had a photo-finish, second place last time at the 2023 Championship behind Philander Smith's Desmond Merritt, but Goldsby made sure 2024 had a different ending. He bested his 2023 time by five seconds to take home the 2024 HBCUAC Cross Country Individual Champion - besting Tougaloo College's JaDarrius Nelson (29:10.30) by 1.4 seconds.
Nevon Taylor followed Nelson, with a fifth-place finish (30:28.70). Ashton Neely came in 11th (31:52.30), Kavan Wooten finished 12th (31:54.10) and Andre Payne rounded out Tougaloo's finishers at 14th (32:17.50).
Wiley University finished runner up with three All-HBCUAC athletes.
Wiley University Wildcats finished Runners-Up for the third consecutive season with a team time of 2:40:43, tallying 65 points with three runners in the top 10. Jaylon Donson earned All-HBCUAC for the second consecutive season with a seventh-place finish (30:50.50) and Ameariun Harper garnered All-HBCUAC with a 10th place finish (31:38.80).
Also earning All-HBCUAC with top 10 finishes are Amos Metto from Stillman College, who finished third (29:58), Katavious Gibbs from Philander Smith University (Fourth, 30:19.20), Decquan Nisbett of Talladega College (sixth, 30:46.70), Isaiah Millett from Talladega College (eighth, 31:05.70) and K'Mon Washington from Dillard University (ninth, 31:09.90).
Tougaloo's Eric Pilcher was named Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and his assistant Paul Scott was tabbed Men's Cross Country Assistant Coach of the Year. For the first time in conference history, it honored the top academic athlete with the HBCU Elite 9 Award presented by Blooksy. Sage Pitre, a biology major at Philander Smith University was the inaugural winner - holding a 4.0 GPA with 72 credit hours.
Tougaloo, Goldsby, Metto, Gibbs, and Nisbett - the top four individuals placed 15th or higher and not on the winning team will receive an automatic berth to the 2024 NAIA National Championship at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri on November 22.
NAIA Cross Country Championship qualifiers will be announced in the coming weeks. For details on the championship, visit naia.org.
Visit TFRRS for the complete results.
About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.