MACON, Ga. —
Albany State University defended its crown today at the 2025 SIAC Women’s Cross Country Championship presented by Toyota, securing back-to-back titles for its first repeat since 2017.
The Lady Golden Rams totaled 44 points with three top-10 finishes, followed by runner-up
Tuskegee, which had 57 points and also placed three in the top 10.
Lane College freshman
Cynthia Koech finished first in 19:31.57 for her first conference victory and the SIAC Women's Runner of the Year title.
Brea Vann of Albany State and
Anaya Martin of Tuskegee rounded out the top three finishers in the women’s race.
Kentucky State's
Zhakeya Hawkins received the SIAC Women’s Cross Country Elite 16 Award for her championship performance and academic success. The Elite 16 award, the SIAC’s highest academic achievement honor, is awarded to student-athletes who display exemplary performances in athletics and the classroom.
Albany State head coach
Kenneth Taylor was named SIAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. He was joined by assistant coach
Robert Smith in accepting the award.
The women’s championship meet was held in Macon at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course. In total, 89
student-athletes from 14 institutions competed.
2025 SIAC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM SCORES
| PLACE |
TEAM |
SCORE |
| 1 |
Albany State |
44 |
| 2 |
Tuskegee |
57 |
| 3 |
Lane |
72 |
| 4 |
Central State |
138 |
| 5 |
Spring Hill |
151 |
| 6 |
Kentucky State |
194 |
| 7 |
Benedict |
208 |
| 8 |
Clark Atlanta |
210 |
| 9 |
Allen |
250 |
| 10 |
Miles |
266 |
| 11 |
Fort Valley State |
269 |
| 12 |
Edward Waters |
294 |
| 13 |
Savannah State |
321 |
| 14 |
LeMoyne-Owen |
402 |
2025 SIAC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES
| PLACE |
NAME |
TEAM |
FINISH |
| 1 |
Cynthia Koech |
Lane |
19:28.78 |
| 2 |
Brea Vann |
Albany State |
19:38.97 |
| 3 |
Anaya Martin |
Tuskegee |
19:52.82 |
| 4 |
Faith Thompson |
Albany State |
19:59.45 |
| 5 |
Cecilia Light |
Spring Hill |
20:07.79 |
| 6 |
Taylor Franklin |
Tuskegee |
20:21.58 |
| 7 |
Sydney Haywood |
Albany State |
20:44.26 |
| 8 |
Caren Kipkoech |
Benedict |
20:57.84 |
| 9 |
Akierah Walker |
Tuskegee |
21:03.55 |
| 10 |
Zhakeya Hawkins |
Kentucky State |
21:19.12 |
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters 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 seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.