NEW ORLEANS – The Stillman men's cross country team took part in the HBCU Athletic Conference Championship on Friday morning, placing sixth out of 12 teams. Individually, freshman Elijah Anderson led the way for the Tigers with a ninth-place finish with the tenth-best time of 31:54.0, more than two full minutes off his previous personal best.
 
Teammate Demarreon Baldwin was the next Stillman runner across the finish, taking 26th behind a PR mark of 35:24.1, while Con'darius McCorvey followed in 39th with a season-best 39:55.8. Desmond Andrews (39:59.1) and Cameron Washington (42:12.5) rounded out the scoring for the Tigers, with both setting career bests along the way.

"I couldn't be be prouder of our student-athletes and the way they represented Stillman College at the HBCUAC Cross Country Championships. Our runners displayed tremendous heart, grit, and determination. They didn't just show up to compete; they came to make a statement. Having three runners (men and women) finish in the Top 10 is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and commitment to Stillman College," said Stillman Head Coach Ashley Curry.

Anderson's performance on Friday was nearly strong enough to earn him a spot in the NAIA National Championships. He was the sixth-best finisher not on the winning team. The HBCUAC had 11 teams compete instead of 12, the benchmark that changes how many individuals qualify from each conference. In conferences of 6-11 teams, only four individuals qualify that were not on the winning team, while the top six qualify in conferences of 12 or more teams. 
 
Stillman totaled a team score of 164, landing between Voorhees and Wilberforce on the team leader board. Wiley claimed five of the top 11 finishers, including individual champion Javoun Goldsby, who recorded a time of 29:09.8.