Talladega's Rodriguez wins Week 3 HBCUAC Women's Cross Country Honors

Mary Rodriguez ran the best time in the conference on Friday.

September 16, 2025

NEW ORLEANS - September 16, 2025 - Talladega College women's cross country athlete Mary Rodriguez garners Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Runner and Freshman of the Week. She was honored for her performance between September 8-14, the conference announced Tuesday.

Rodriguez ran a personal best 21:56 at the Southern Showcase five-kilometer course. Her time is the best in the conference. She ran against many National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes.

Talladega runs at University of Tennesssee Southern on Saturday.

Additional women's cross country weekly nominees: Danielle Graham (Tougaloo), Herlancia Miller (Tougaloo), Makiyah Thurman (Stillman), Sensation Vallerie (Philander Smith), Samarea Womack (Wiley)

2025 HBCUAC Women's Cross Country Runners of the Week

Date	Runner	Freshman	Newcomer
Aug. 25-31	Karlise Davison, Dillard	Karlise Davison, Dillard	N/A
Sept. 1-7	Herlancia Miller, Tougaloo	Samarea Womack, Wiley	N/A
Sept. 8-14	Mary Rodriguez, Talladega	Mary Rodriguez, Talladega	N/A

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.