GREENSBORO - A strong and surprising showing by the North Carolina A&T women's cross country team had an historic finish at the 2009 MEAC Championships in October.
The cross country ladies helped the women's sports programs at N.C. A&T come close to claiming the Mary McLeod Bethune-Cookman Women's All-Sports Award administered by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Aggie women finished in second place with 68.5 points, six points behind Hampton.
Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 12 points for champions or first place regular-season finishes. The second place teams get 10 points. Tied teams split the total points. The Aggies' Mary McLeod Bethune-Cookman finish for the Aggies women's teams was the best placement in years aided by the women's cross country team's best finish ever at the MEAC Championships.
Led by Kristin Rush's second-place finish, the N.C. A&T women's cross country team finished tied for second with Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md. Rush finished just nine-tenths of a second behind Hampton's Jahlisa Smith.
"Our strong finish this year highlights how improved all of our female programs are becoming,'' said Wheeler Brown, N.C. A&T's director of athletics. "Coach (Patricia Cage-Bibbs) set the pace, and our softball, cross country and track and field teams are following suit. I'm proud of what our ladies are accomplishing."
Another boost to the Aggies strong finish was Bibbs' basketball program, which has become a perennial power in the MEAC. The Aggies won their third straight MEAC regular-season title with a 14-2 record.
Led by head coach Mamie Jones, the softball team finished 8-4 in the MEAC, and had a second-place finish in the MEAC's Southern Division. Track and field also played a big role. Outdoor track and field finished fourth at the MEAC Championships, while the indoor team had a fifth-place finish during its championship.
N.C. A&T sponsors nine women's varsity programs, including basketball, cross country, volleyball, bowling, swimming (not sponsored by the MEAC), indoor and outdoor track and field, tennis and softball. All eight programs recognized by the MEAC will be young next season, giving the Aggies a chance to make a run at claiming the award in the near future.
