National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Photos by Cheryl Treworgy/PrettySporty.com (action), and Christopher Shawn Coleman and Joy Kamani/NSAF (awards, team)

Coach Drummond and the Hampton U. women after their fourth straight HBCU Challenge championships.

There were, in effect, two races during the Robert Shumake HBCU Challenge Women’s 5k Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

There was the time-trial like effort of guest Zola Budd-Pieterse, who soloed it from the front –impressing both older fans who remember her prodigious performances as a South African and British teen in the mid-1980s, and younger or casual fans that were simply wowed by watching a 47-year-old woman running 17:47 for 5k.

And then there were the teams and individual vying for HBCU supremacy, fronted by a Hampton University seven that were not only going for their 4th straight title, but also being led by a senior trying to give her school its first individual champion in the event.

Mission accomplished, as Hampton rolled to both the overall crown (46 pts. to St. Augustine’s 72, Winston-Salem State’s 106 and ahead of 13 other schools) and, of course, first place among D-1 schools (28 pts to Howard’s 73, with North Carolina Central 85 nipping NC A&T State 86 and South Carolina State 88 for third). 

And, mission accomplished by Nichelle Harris: The Hampton senior, in the best shape of her collegiate career, rolled to an 18:38.1 triumph, prevailing by nearly 30 seconds.

Harris (photos at right) was 4th as a frosh in 2010, 2nd as a soph, but then just 10th as a junior.  Despite the very warm conditions, she not only won Saturday, but beat her previous best time on the course by half a minute.  Did having Zola hammering out front help her?

“It did (at first), but after awhile I did lose sight of the woman ahead of me,” she said.  “So I did have to keep pushing and remember that because no one was around, it was me that had to keep pushing myself to try and finish the race as well as I could.”

Regarding how she has reached a higher level this year, Harris added, “I’m in a lot better shape, actually, my training’s been really good.  It has just progressed my entire college career and I expect to have a lot of good races this year.”

As for her team’s success, the senior said Hampton never has a problem getting up for the Challenge.  “We were all motivated on the ride down, even before we left for the meet,” she said.  “It’s one of our favorite meets, so we were all excited to run.  It’s inspiring to know we have a race especially for us and it’s definitely motivating for us to go out and run our best for the HBCUs.”

After Budd-Pieterse and Harris, Ericka Charles of the Speed Factor club was also under 19:00 with an 18:59.3.  Then Harris’s senior teammate Devyn Thompson followed in 19:07.3, then 2012 champion and North Carolina Central junior Amber Brooks in 19:12.6.

     
3rd through 6th overall finishers in the HBCU Challenge Women's race: Ericka Charles, Devyn Thompson, Amber Brooks, Taylor-Ashley Bean.

In 6th came Virginia State U. soph Taylor-Ashley Bean in 19:25.7 – the top scorer for the non-D-1 schools.  Then, leading the St. Augustine women – who won the non-D-1 schools championship – was the duo of soph Fanta Fofana 19:39.2 and frosh Skylar Walen 19:39.8.  St. Aug scored 36 in that breakdown to defeat Winston-Salem State 56, Virginia State 62, and eight other schools.

The overall runner-up and Non-D1 champion St. Aug Falcons.

Hampton coach Damion Drummond was pleased both with the team effort and the individual win from Harris.

“We have a lot of seniors on this team and we had an individual winner for the first time,” he said.  “She was runner-up (in 2011) and she’s been up and down since.  For her, coming back her senior year and winning, that’s big time, and shows the strength of our program and consistency, and the maturity of having seniors who can lead you on the way out.”

Coach Drummond also noted the performance of Thompson in the runner-up spot and another senior, Cydney Robinson, who stepped up with one of her best efforts in taking 14th overall at 20:00.2 as Hampton’s #4 on this day.

Though the Pirates will lose these three plus Ashley Armand (frequent #3 runner, but #5 Saturday), Coach Drummond noted the performance of soph transfer Ce’aira Brown in 13th as the #3 runner and said, “The future’s looking bright and I think #5 (5th straight title) is in the making.”

As for Zola Budd-Pieterse (photo at right), it was all about just enjoying a chance as a guest to run a rare 5k for her – a chance to race in the same meet with her children who were competing in Great American Cross Country Festival events.  The family has lived in Myrtle Beach for the past five years.  Daughter Lisa, a Carolina Forest SC soph, was 8th in the New Balance Race of Champions in 18:16.5.  Son Michael, a freshman at the same school, was 31st in the JV II race in 18:50.9.

“It was a great race, a great event to compete in,” Zola said afterwards.  “My kids were running today and I decided, okay, we’re driving up to Raleigh anyway ... so I asked if I could run in this race and they graciously allowed”

Zola had no expectations of a fast time.  “I haven’t been running under 18 minutes in quite awhile, so I’m pleased with the time, yes ... I’ve been running ultra-marathons in South Africa and some marathons, and just keeping busy.  I don’t think I’ll ever stop running.”

While Budd-Pieterse may be most famous (or infamous) for her barefoot 3,000 meter race in the 1984 Olympics, her world-class career as a teen was much more than that and was highlighted by a spectacular 1985 that included a world record 14:48.07 for 5,000 meters.  Her present day efforts in the sport include giving back through involvement in development and charitable programs both in Myrtle Beach and South Africa.