LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – The Lincoln University (Pa.) men's and women's cross country teams will put a season of steady progress to the test Thursday, October 22, when the Lions compete at the 2026 CIAA Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships at Green Hill Park in Salem, Virginia.

The 56th CIAA Cross Country Championship will bring together runners from across the conference with individual and team titles on the line. Lincoln enters the championship looking to build on several strong performances throughout the fall and close the season with its best showing on the conference stage.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

Meet: 2026 CIAA Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026

Location: Green Hill Park – Salem, Va.
Address: 2500 Green Hill Park Road, Salem, VA 24153

Admission: Free
Live Results:https://snapresults.snaptiming.com/meets/79700

The Lions return to Green Hill Park after competing at the same site in last year's CIAA Championships. Lincoln's women finished fourth overall at the 2025 championship, while the men's team placed ninth.

WOMEN'S OUTLOOK
Lincoln's women's team has displayed both consistency and depth throughout the 2026 campaign, led by Madison Morgan (Piscataway, NJ) and Miranda McLean.

McLean has produced one of the strongest seasons of her Lincoln career. The senior earned CIAA Women's Cross Country Performer of the Week honors after placing fourth overall at the UMES Invitational with a time of 22:08.57. Morgan finished right behind her in fifth at 22:28.1 as the Lions earned a third-place team finish.

The Lions continued to show their ability to compete against conference opponents at the HBCU Cross Country Challenge, finishing runner-up with 65 points. Morgan paced Lincoln in 12th place, followed by McLean in 13th and Aniya Whitfield (Philadelphia, PA) in 15th. Isabella Wright (Bear, DE) and Eternity Bellamy (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East HS) completed the Lions' scoring five.

Morgan again led Lincoln at the Golden Ram Invitational, finishing 15th in the 4K with a time of 17:05.7. Wright and McLean crossed nearly together in 21st and 22nd, respectively, while Whitfield and Bellamy rounded out the scoring group.

That pack running could prove important Thursday as Lincoln looks to improve upon last season's fourth-place conference finish and challenge for a spot near the top of the team standings.

MEN'S OUTLOOK

On the men's side, Thomas Jones (Washington, DC/) enters the championship after providing leadership at the front of Lincoln's lineup throughout the season.

Jones appears ready for the postseason following a strong performance at Lincoln's Championship Tune-Up. The junior finished third overall in the 4K with a time of 14:19.7, while freshman Semaj Stone (Newark, DE) was right behind him in fourth at 14:22.3. Their performances helped Lincoln finish runner-up in the team standings with 65 points, ahead of CIAA opponent Bowie State.

Stone has also emerged as an important contributor during his first collegiate season. He led Lincoln at the UMES Invitational, finishing 11th in the men's 8K at 30:59.6. Eric Brown (Atco, NJ/) placed 13th, while Jones added a 15th-place finish as Lincoln placed fourth overall.

The Lions will also look for contributions from Lamine Kane (Baltimore, MD/Woodland HS), Kevin Williams, Adam Green (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown), Kelvin Coley (Brooklyn, NY/University HS), Daniel Stevens (Drexel Hill, PA/) and the remainder of the lineup as they attempt to improve on their ninth-place finish at last year's conference championship.

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Lincoln will face a talented CIAA field Thursday. Virginia Union freshman Abel Kipkemboi enters the meet as the 2026 CIAA Men's Cross Country Performer of the Year after running a personal-best 24:11.1 in the 8K at the Royals Cross Country Challenge. Fayetteville State's Faith Kiplimo was selected as the conference's Women's Cross Country Performer of the Year.

Fayetteville State enters as the defending CIAA team champion on both the men's and women's sides after sweeping the 2025 conference championships.

For Lincoln, Thursday represents the culmination of a fall that has featured continued improvement, stronger pack running and several standout individual performances. With Morgan and McLean providing experience for the women and Jones and Stone setting the pace for the men, the Lions will look to turn that progress into strong finishes when championship racing begins at Green Hill Park.