HBCU Cross Country Championship Season Is Coming: Dates and Locations for Five Conferences

By HBCU Original
October 7, 2026

Championship season is almost here, and HBCU cross country runners are preparing to put months of training to the test. Across the HBCUAC, CIAA, SWAC, MEAC and SIAC, the coming weeks will bring opportunities for athletes to earn individual titles and help their schools bring home conference championships.

For fans looking to follow the action, the championship calendar stretches from an October stop in New Orleans to a listed November meet in Georgia. Here is where things stand.

The HBCU Athletic Conference will hold its men’s and women’s cross country championships on Friday, October 16, at City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation will host the event, with women competing in a 5K race and men taking on an 8K course. DJ Wild Wayne of Q93 will serve as the meet’s emcee and DJ, adding a local connection to championship day.

Next on the calendar is the CIAA, which will bring its men’s and women’s championships to Green Hill Park in Salem, Virginia, on Thursday, October 22. Fayetteville State enters the season as the defending conference champion on both sides after winning the men’s and women’s titles in 2025. That gives the rest of the conference a clear target as teams prepare for this year’s meet.

The SWAC will head to Tallahassee, Florida, for its men’s and women’s championships on Tuesday, October 27. Apalachee Regional Park is the scheduled site, bringing the conference’s distance runners together with team trophies and individual honors on the line.

The MEAC will close out October with its men’s and women’s championships on Friday, October 30, in Cary, North Carolina. North Carolina Central University will serve as the host, according to the conference’s championship schedule.

The SIAC championship date still needs clarification. Spring Hill College lists Friday, November 6, at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course in Macon, Georgia. Clark Atlanta University also lists November 6 in Macon on its men’s and women’s schedules. However, LeMoyne-Owen College lists October 24 with the location undetermined. Fans and media planning to attend should confirm the final details with the SIAC before making travel arrangements.

Cross country may not always receive the same attention as football or basketball, but these championships deserve a place on the HBCU sports calendar. Every race brings a chance to recognize the runners putting in the work, the teams building competitive programs and the schools chasing conference pride.

For HBCU fans, October is about more than what happens inside the stadium. There are championships to watch out on the course, too.