Dillard's Acosta wins HBCUAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week
NEW ORLEANS - September 2, 2024 - After running the top time on her team in its season-opening meet, Dillard University athlete Brooklyn Acosta wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for races occuring between August 26 and September 1, the conference announced Monday.
Acosta, who was an All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference runner last season, will be nominated for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Runner of the Week award, which will be announced on Wednesday. She ran 18:44 in the four-kilometer race at the University of New Orleans Season Opener on Friday. She ran against athletes which were mostly from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions. Last season she finished eighth at the 2023 GCAC Women's Cross Country Championship, earning All-GCAC. Acosta helped Dillard win its third straight title.
-HBCUAC-
About HBCU Athletic Conference:
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org