CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte 49ers cross country team is back in action on Friday, Oct. 10, returning to the Queen City for the Royals Cross Country Challenge. It’s the second meet that the Niners will run this season at McAlpine Creek Park following the Queen City Invite on Sept. 12 and will be a good tune-up for the Niners before a trip to Virginia next week for the Panorama Farms Invitational.
ROYALS CROSS COUNTRY CHALLENGE PREVIEW
Charlotte’s women will run first at 3:30 p.m., followed by the men at 4:15 p.m. The Green and White enjoyed a massive evening the last time out at McAlpine Creek Park for the Queen City Invitational, as the men rolled to a 28-point win over then No. 18 North Carolina and the women finished a close second to No. 30 Wake Forest. 30 Charlotte runners set new personal records back on Sept. 12, and Maddon Muhammad took the men’s individual crown.
“We’re excited to get back on the course at McAlpine after racing there four weeks ago,” said Head Coach Joe Lynn. “We raced really well as a full team in September and will hopefully see some significant progress once again with this group.”
THE SEASON SO FAR
Charlotte is coming off the Joe Piane Classic, where the Niners raced in South Bend, Ind. on Oct. 3. Battling an impressive field led by a Notre Dame squad ranked in the top-10 for both men and women, Charlotte’s men finished 10th and the women 11th. 16 Niners established new PRs, but Lynn noted that there was work to be done heading into the final stretch.
Muhammad, who finished 19th individually with a PR time of 23:22.3, was named the American Conference Men’s Cross Country Athlete for the second time this season and third time of his career on Oct. 7 thanks to his performance. The first time Muhammad won the award in 2025 was on Sept. 16 following his win at the Queen City Invite, while Ella White took home the Women’s Award as well for her third-place performance with a PR time of 16:54.3.
The Niner men have two team wins on the season, coming at the Charlotte Opener and the Queen City Invite. The Niner women have been right on their heels, having taken second place in both of the opening two meets against nationally ranked competition. With the American Conference Championships drawing closer on Nov. 1, Lynn is hoping that the Royals Cross Country Challenge provides a good look at his team heading into the next slate of the season.
“As we’re inching closer to our championships in November, we’re looking for those individuals who show they can potentially compete at the conference and/or regional championships,” Lynn stated. “Friday will serve as a perfect opportunity for individuals in this lineup to work into those championship groups.”
NEXT UP
The Niners will head to Earlysville, Va. to race on Oct. 17 at the Panorama Farms Invitational, hosted by the Virginia Cavaliers. It’s the final regular season meet of the season for Charlotte before the Green and White host the American Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Frank Liske Park.
ROYALS CROSS COUNTRY CHALLENGE PREVIEW
Charlotte’s women will run first at 3:30 p.m., followed by the men at 4:15 p.m. The Green and White enjoyed a massive evening the last time out at McAlpine Creek Park for the Queen City Invitational, as the men rolled to a 28-point win over then No. 18 North Carolina and the women finished a close second to No. 30 Wake Forest. 30 Charlotte runners set new personal records back on Sept. 12, and Maddon Muhammad took the men’s individual crown.
“We’re excited to get back on the course at McAlpine after racing there four weeks ago,” said Head Coach Joe Lynn. “We raced really well as a full team in September and will hopefully see some significant progress once again with this group.”
THE SEASON SO FAR
Charlotte is coming off the Joe Piane Classic, where the Niners raced in South Bend, Ind. on Oct. 3. Battling an impressive field led by a Notre Dame squad ranked in the top-10 for both men and women, Charlotte’s men finished 10th and the women 11th. 16 Niners established new PRs, but Lynn noted that there was work to be done heading into the final stretch.
Muhammad, who finished 19th individually with a PR time of 23:22.3, was named the American Conference Men’s Cross Country Athlete for the second time this season and third time of his career on Oct. 7 thanks to his performance. The first time Muhammad won the award in 2025 was on Sept. 16 following his win at the Queen City Invite, while Ella White took home the Women’s Award as well for her third-place performance with a PR time of 16:54.3.
The Niner men have two team wins on the season, coming at the Charlotte Opener and the Queen City Invite. The Niner women have been right on their heels, having taken second place in both of the opening two meets against nationally ranked competition. With the American Conference Championships drawing closer on Nov. 1, Lynn is hoping that the Royals Cross Country Challenge provides a good look at his team heading into the next slate of the season.
“As we’re inching closer to our championships in November, we’re looking for those individuals who show they can potentially compete at the conference and/or regional championships,” Lynn stated. “Friday will serve as a perfect opportunity for individuals in this lineup to work into those championship groups.”
NEXT UP
The Niners will head to Earlysville, Va. to race on Oct. 17 at the Panorama Farms Invitational, hosted by the Virginia Cavaliers. It’s the final regular season meet of the season for Charlotte before the Green and White host the American Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Frank Liske Park.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source charlotte49ers.com ’
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