TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M Women's Cross Country is set for the final event of the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 27, when the Rattlers travel across town for the 2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Cross Country Championships taking place at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
The race is set to begin with the Men's 8K race at 8 a.m., followed by the Women's 5K race at 9 a.m.
 
Admission and parking are free for all participating teams and spectators. Fans can follow the meet results through Pttiming SWAC Championships.
 
The races will also be streamed via SWAC TV.
 
Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships
 
Tuesday, October 26, 2026
 
Women's 5K | 9 a.m.
 
Live Results
 
Watch Live
 
Last Time Out
 
Florida A&M junior Rose Muturi finished seventh overall in the women's 6-kilometer race at the Florida State Cross Country Invitational on Friday, leading the Rattlers to a sixth-place team finish in a 16-team scoring field.

Muturi covered the course in 22 minutes, 26.4 seconds, finishing behind only six runners in a field of 135 finishers. Those six came from three programs: Jacksonville State, Tampa and host Florida State. Her time was faster than every Florida Atlantic runner and all but one Florida State runner.

FAMU totaled 194 points, ahead of 10 other teams. Troy (233), North Alabama (241), Albany State (302), Alabama State (314), Daytona State College (326), Jacksonville (328), Valdosta State (329), Eastern Florida (368), Gulf Coast State College (368) and Central Florida (471) all trailed the Rattlers.

Tampa won the team title with 37 points, followed by Jacksonville State (46), Florida State (83), Florida Atlantic (85) and Flagler (149). Embry-Riddle and Thomas (Ga.) did not field enough finishers to receive a team score.

Senior Niya Coleman was FAMU's second scorer, placing 43rd in 23:52.2. Sophomore Leandra Ferrell (63rd, 24:44.8), senior Nina Story (65th, 24:49.4) and junior Jaade McBride (66th, 24:50.7) completed the Rattlers' scoring five. Those four runners finished within 58 seconds of one another, a tight pack that helped separate FAMU from the teams behind it.

Freshmen Crystal Malaykhan (81st, 25:15.8) and Bree Brooks (97th, 26:31.5) also ran for FAMU as its sixth and seventh finishers.

FAMU was the top-finishing historically Black college or university in the field, ahead of Albany State and Alabama State. Muturi was also the top HBCU runner individually, 14 places ahead of Alabama State's Aliyah Williams (21st, 23:12.1).
 
The Field at the Florida Intercollegiate XC Invitational
 
The field at this year's FSU XC Invite features all 12 SWAC schools in the form of Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bethune-Cookman, FAMU, Grambling State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern (La.) and Texas Southern.
 
The Course
 
Apalachee Regional Park includes one of the nation's few sites designed specifically for cross country running. This trail is a pristine, multi-surface course that hosts small and large running events. The facility features numerous course and distance options through the rolling hills, lowlands, and pine forests. The trail was designed to give runners the opportunity to run on several types of surfaces. When the trail is not being used for a running event, it is open to the general public for hiking, running, and biking. The park also has four lighted multi-purpose grass fields with American football field goals. The fields are also used for soccer and lacrosse. The parking area accommodates more than 3,500 vehicles at one time. Additionally, the park has a remote-control airplane and helicopter airfield.
 
Last Time at the SWAC XC Championships
 
The Florida A&M Rattlers women's cross country team turned in a gritty performance at the 2025 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Cross Country Championships, showing both determination and depth as senior leader Tara Bert paced the squad with a top 10 finish.

Bert, Green Island, Jamaica native, clocked in at 19 minutes, 10.1 seconds, earning seventh place overall in the 5,000-meter race. Her strong finish against a highly competitive field secured valuable points for FAMU and highlighted her steady leadership in her final collegiate season. Bert was also named All-SWAC Second Team due to finishing seventh. 

Freshman Leandra Ferrell also made her championship debut memorable, finishing in 19th place with a time of 20:29.5, showing promise for the program's future. The Rattlers' pack-running strategy kept them competitive against powerhouse programs like Alabama State and Texas Southern, which placed multiple runners in the top 10.

Texas Southern's Alyvia Brown claimed the individual title with an impressive 18:17.8, while Alabama State took home the team championship behind a trio of top five finishers. But for Florida A&M, the day was about progress and pride – proof that the Rattlers' orange and green are climbing fast in the SWAC distance ranks.
 
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