BALTIMORE, Md. (August 29, 2025) -- The Morgan State men's and women's cross country squads are set to kick off their 2025 campaign on Saturday morning, participating in the UMES Season Opener in Princess Anne, Md.
The women's race is set to kick off the morning's activities, with participants tackling a 3K course beginning promptly at 9:30 a.m. Following their event, the men's teams will then step up to a longer 5K course, with their race scheduled to commence approximately two hours later, around 11:30 a.m.
The season opener will take place at The Hawks Cross Country Pavilion, a familiar course for MEAC programs as they kick off their fall schedules.
"We're excited about the opportunity to compete," Morgan State head coach Neville Hodge said. "This Saturday will give us a chance to evaluate where we are as a team after two weeks of camp."
In 2024, former Bears Perry Bennett and Davian Gray paced the men's squad with top-10 finishes in the 8K at the UMES Soaring Hawks Invitational. Bennett took runner-up honors with a time of 27:10.7, while Gray secured seventh in 28:31.16. Morgan State also benefited from solid performances by Caleb Mincey and Samuel Skinner, as Mincey placed 20th in 30:37.75 and Skinner finished 26th in 31:37.64.
In last year's Soaring Hawk Invitational, former standout Abigail Fisher delivered a commanding performance on the women's side, capturing the individual crown with a winning time of 20:03.2. Her dominant effort was pivotal in propelling Morgan State to a runner-up team finish, accumulating 45 points thanks to a strong collective showing. The Bears placed three athletes in the top 10, with Aaliyah Headley securing an impressive third place in 20:52.2 and former Bear Jessica Lamborn taking eighth, clocking in at 21:36.06. Just narrowly missing the top 10, Hemetii Apet also contributed significantly, crossing the finish line 11th in 22:11.2.
Saturday kicks off the first of five regular-season meets for the Bears. Beyond their initial outing, the Bears' demanding schedule features four more regular-season competitions, including the Delaware State Invite on September 12 in Smyrna, Delaware, followed by the UMES Soaring Hawks Invite on September 20 in Princess Anne, Maryland. October will see them compete in the HBCU Challenge on October 3 in Cary, North Carolina, and the Aubrey Shenk Invitational on October 18 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The pinnacle of Morgan State's season will be the 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship, a crucial event slated for Saturday, November 1, in Cary, North Carolina, where the Bears will vie for conference supremacy.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
