Philander Smith's Collins claims Week 2 HBCUAC Women's Runner of the Week

NEW ORLEANS - September 10, 2024 - The defending conference champion Ja'Neisha Collins of Philander Smith University, takes home the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference Week 2 Women's Runner of the Week for her performance from September 2-8, the conference announced on Tuesday.

Collins, the HBCUAC Preseason Women's Runner of the Year, ran 21:02.05 at Montevallo Falcon Classic five-kilometer race on Friday. She finished in the top third out of the 100-athlete field which featured runners from NCAA and NJCAA schools.

-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, 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.