Philander Smith's Collins claims third HBCUAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week Award

NEW ORLEANS - September 30, 2024 - For the third time this season, Philander Smith University women's cross country athlete Ja'Neisha Collins rises to the top as the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Runner of the Week for her performance from September 23-29, the conference announced on Monday.

Collins, who was also Runner of the Week for September 2-8 and September 9-15, ran 20:48 at the University of Arkansas' Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival five-kilometer race. On Saturday. She finished 36th out of a field of 188 athletes - running at 6:21 mile-pace. Philander Smith will run at the Belhaven Invitational on Saturday. 

2024 HBCUAC Women's Cross Country Runners of the Week

-HBCUAC -

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). GCAC 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, 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.