FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Shaw University men's and women's cross country programs posted strong individual showings at the Downback Invitational, highlighted by a pair of top-10 finishes in both races.

On the women's side,Shaianne Wiley delivered a podium finish, crossing the line third overall with a time of 18:06.62. Wiley's aggressive pace from the opening mile kept her in striking distance of the leaders throughout the 5K course, giving Shaw its first top-three performance of the season. Eva Baana also turned in an impressive effort, finishing eighth overall in 19:28.86, securing a second top-10 result for the Lady Bears. Their efforts helped Shaw stand out in a competitive field that included runners from Coker, Meredith, and Methodist.

On the men's side, Ronald Kipkemboi paced the Bears with a fifth-place finish in 23:04.95, battling through a tightly packed group of Coker and Methodist runners. He was closely followed by teammates Alex Kiprono (eighth – 24:34.48) and Kevin Kiptarus (ninth – 24:57.54), giving Shaw three top-10 finishers in the 6K race.

Both teams are back in action Friday, September 12 as they travel to Misenheimer, NC for the Pfeiffer XC Invitational.