Cross Country has been the most successful sport at Winston-Salem State since the return to the CIAA in 2010.
The women are the returning CIAA champions, and the men want to improve after finishing second last season.
With a lot of confidence, the Rams head for the conference championship, Oct. 22.
“We want to dominate the CIAA,” said Brittney Killebrew, senior computer science major from Brooklyn.
“Our confidence is high, and we are not backing down from anybody.”
The Rams have performed well this season sweeping the Wilbur Ross Invitational with the men and women both winning, Oct. 8.
The men scored 25 points and the women scored 41. Brittany Killebrew won the 5K for the women at the Wilbur Ross Invitational.
“We really performed well at the Invitational,” said Head Cross Country Coach Inez Turner.
“We really showed how dominate we can be.”
Turner said as long as the teams keep their focus, they will be victorious.
“The only thing that stands in our way is us,” Turner said.
During a team discussion on Oct. 18, Turner talked about Andrew Chebii’s importance to the team.
“The faster he finishes the race, the better chance we have of winning the title,” Turner said.
Chebii said he has plans to become a professional cross country runner after graduation.
“Because of my education, I cannot train the way that I need to,” Chebii said.
“I want to become an Olympic runner and represent for my country.”
Chebii, a junior nursing major from Kenya, has won two of the three events this season, and said that the CIAA championship is a lock for him to finish first.
“This year my aim was to win every event,” Chebii said.
“I know that we are going to win. It’s going to be easy.”
Turner said that the pressure of being returning champions is there, but it will not interfere with the goals for the championship.
“We know there is pressure,” Turner said.
“Everyone wants to be the champs, but we want to remain the champs.”
The reason for the Rams confidence is validated by their performance against Division I competition.
The Rams competed in the Adidas Cross Country Challenge, Sept. 6.
The Rams finished in fourth place and the Lady Rams in sixth.
“In that race everyone had their personal best times,” Turner said.
She said that the team is confident, but she didn’t look past the opponents in the championships.
“We never want to underestimate anyone.”