TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Edward Waters University men's and women's cross country teams continued their 2026 campaigns with strong individual efforts at the 2026 HOKA Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest, as both squads gained valuable experience against a competitive field at Apalachee Regional Park Friday evening.
Women's Cross Country
The Lady Tigers finished eighth as a team with 215 points, recording a combined team time of 2:20:34.2.
On the women's side, freshman Alaysa Chipunov paced the Lady Tigers with an impressive second-place overall finish, completing the race in 20:47.4 while averaging a 6:42-per-mile pace.
Paris McKinnon finished 41st overall in 24:48.7, posting a 7:59 pace. Abigail Watt crossed the finish line in 30:49.2 to place 75th, followed closely by Viviandra Phinizee, who finished 78th in 30:57.4.
Alexandra Cleveland completed the Edward Waters lineup, finishing 85th overall.
Men's Cross Country
The Tigers were led by Alex Payne III, who delivered a standout performance by finishing 13th overall with a time of 29:21.5, averaging a 5:54-per-mile pace.
Rayshawn Goodman followed with a 43rd-place finish, crossing the line in 32:28.2 at a 6:32 pace. Grey Murphy finished 47th overall in 33:10.1, averaging 6:40 per mile, while Joshua Walkes rounded out Edward Waters' scoring runners with a 76th-place finish in 37:10.7 and a 7:29 pace.
The HOKA Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest provided both Edward Waters squads with another opportunity to test themselves in competition as the Tigers and Lady Tigers continue their 2026 seasons.
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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.