Wilberforce's Howard, Wiley's Russell earn Week 1 HBCUAC Men's Cross Country Weekly Honors
NEW ORLEANS - September 2, 2025 - Wilberforce University men's cross country athlete Skyaqui Howard wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Men's Cross Country Runner and Freshman of the Week. Wiley University transfer John Russell claims Newcomer of the Week. The men were honored for their performances between August 25-31, the conference announced Tuesday.
In his first collegiate meet, Howard ran 17:56.7 to lead the Bulldogs in the Wilberforce Invitational on Friday. He finished seventh out of 23 athletes from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II and NCCAA schools.
Russell finished Texas Christian University's John MacKenzie Invitational five-kilometer race in 19:38. He ran against NCAA Division I athletes from TCU, Texas A&M University and Tarleton State University. Russell transferred to Wiley from Ranger College.
Additional men's cross country weekly nominees: Quante Ferguson (Talladega), Javoun Goldsby (Wiley), Earl Hurd Jr. (Wiley), Phillip Isaac (Dillard), K'Mon Washington (Dillard)
About the 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), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), 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 soccer, 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.