HBCUAC Champion Men's Cross Country runs for 2025 NAIA National Championship

The Wiley University men's cross country team is set to compete in the 70th Annual NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship on Friday, November 21, 2025, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. The race is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. CST (9:30 a.m. ET).

This marks the Wildcats' second team appearance in the national championship, with their last showing occurring 11 years ago in 2014. The team earned one of the 23 automatic bids by claiming the 2025 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Championship on October 17.

Key Runners and Team Outlook

The Wildcats are led by veteran Javoun Goldsby, who is making his second consecutive appearance at the NAIA National Championship. Goldsby has been a consistent star for Wiley, earning All-HBCUAC honors for the fourth straight season after finishing as the conference runner-up in the 2025 HBCUAC Championship.

The team has received a significant boost from a talented group of freshmen:

• Earl Hurd Jr. secured All-HBCUAC recognition with a ninth-place finish at the conference meet.

• Dwight Bennett Jr. was an earlier season standout, earning the title of HBCUAC Runner of the Week.

Under Head Coach Christopher McConnell, the Wildcats are focused on a strong performance. The coach is expecting his team to "run its best" on the national stage.

The Competition

The 36-team field at the NAIA National Championship is comprised of 23 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large bids. While Wiley's team victory at the HBCUAC Championship was a monumental achievement, their season-best individual time of 28:15 places them in the lower half of the field in terms of sheer speed. For context, the nation's top runners are posting times just over 24 minutes in the 8-kilometer race.

While winning the national championship may be a tall task for the Wildcats, the experience of competing against the nation's elite—and having the opportunity for individuals like Goldsby to potentially push for a high finish—will be invaluable, especially for the promising freshman class.

How to Watch

Fans can watch the Wiley Wildcats compete live as the meet will be streamed on the Urban Edge Network. This broadcast can be viewed online or by downloading the official mobile app.