CARY, N.C. – The Virginia Union University women's cross-country team turned in a strong showing at the HBCU Challenge on Friday, October 3, with Abijah Jepkemboi and Natalie Young each earning top 20 finishes in the women's 5K.

Jepkemboi, a graduate student from Kapsabet, Kenya, placed 12th overall with a time of 19:47.5, while Young, a freshman from Dover, Pa., finished 18th at 20:17.1. Junior Toni Middlebrooks added a 24th-place finish in 21:01.0, while teammates Jailyn Johnson (25:08.8), Gabrielle Olukoya (25:54.4), and Alexus Dilliard (26:36.6) rounded out VUU's scoring five.

As a team, Virginia Union finished seventh overall with 152 points, competing against some of the strongest HBCU programs in the nation.

"Congratulations to Abijah Jepkemboi and Natalie Young for earning gold medals at the HBCU meet," said VUU Head Cross-Country Coach Franck Charles. "All of our ladies fought hard, and every one of them hit a season-best time. While we didn't get the overall team results we were hoping for, I'm still very proud of their effort. They raced against some of the best in the HBCU and held their own extremely well."

The Lady Panthers will return to action on Friday, October 10, at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.