Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

MACON, Ga. — Tuskegee University reclaimed the 2026 SIAC Men's Cross Country Championship on Friday, Nov. 6, delivering a commanding 23-point performance at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course to secure its first conference title since 1975.

The championship marked Tuskegee's return to the top after a historic run of four consecutive titles from 1972 through 1975.

The Morehouse College Maroon Tigers finished as runners-up with 51 points, placing two student-athletes among the top four finishers. Allen University rounded out the top three with 107 points.

Tuskegee junior Edwin Kiprono claimed the individual championship, finishing first overall in the men's 8K with a time of 25:39.68. Teammate Paul Barmao followed in second place with a time of 26:25.86.

Abel Karia of Morehouse finished third with a time of 26:32.32.

Kiprono was named the 2026 SIAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year following his championship-winning performance.

Jayden Davidson of Tuskegee received the SIAC Men's Cross Country Elite 17 Award for his championship performance and academic success. Davidson finished 11th overall in the men's 8K with a time of 28:29.03. The Elite 17 Award, the SIAC's highest academic achievement honor, is awarded to student-athletes who display exemplary performances in athletics and the classroom.

Tuskegee head coach LaShaunda Easterling was named the 2026 SIAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year after guiding the Golden Tigers to their first conference championship in more than five decades. Under her leadership, Tuskegee placed five runners among the top 10, including the top two individual finishers.

A total of 81 student-athletes from 14 institutions completed the race, with 13 teams recording official scores.

2026 SIAC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM SCORES

PLACE	TEAM	SCORE
1	Tuskegee	23
2	Morehouse	51
3	Allen	107
4	Spring Hill	118
5	Edward Waters	159
6	Savannah State	175
7	Central State	177
8	Benedict	214
9	Clark Atlanta	216
10	Kentucky State	227
11	LeMoyne-Owen	273
12	Lane	339
13	Miles	367

Fort Valley State did not record a team score.

2026 SIAC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES

PLACE	NAME	TEAM	FINISH
1	Edwin Kiprono	Tuskegee	25:39.68
2	Paul Barmao	Tuskegee	26:25.86
3	Abel Karia	Morehouse	26:32.32
4	Stanley Kosgei	Morehouse	26:57.84
5	Timothy Rotich	Tuskegee	26:59.14
6	Japhet Kiprono	Tuskegee	27:10.83
7	Salisu Habibu	Allen	27:42.80
8	Janvier Habumugisha	Central State	28:10.36
9	Issiah Simms	Tuskegee	28:22.56
10	Bravin Bor	Benedict	28:25.97

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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) headquartered in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.