Tougaloo's Nelson wins Week 5 HBCUAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week

NEW ORLEANS - September 30, 2024 - Tougaloo College's JaDarrius Nelson wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for his performance between September 23 and 29, the conference announced on Monday.

Nelson ran 31:37.1 at the Topper Trails College Classic's eight-kilometer race hosted by Blue Mountain Christian University in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. He ran at 6:21.6 mile-pace and finished 47th in the 87-man field. Nelson's time was nearly three minutes faster than his season's best.

The Bulldogs will race at the Belhaven Invitational on Saturday.

2024 HBCUAC Men's Cross Country Runners of the Week

-HBCUAC-

About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.