This past season the Southwestern Athletic Conference crowned champions in 18 sports. In what was a remarkable athletic year, we look back at the teams that emerged as league champions. Our next flashback features the 2023 SWAC Men's Cross Country Champions, Texas Southern University. 

Watch Replay     Final Results 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It was a total team effort as the Texas Southern men's cross country team won its seventh title in school history following the 2023 SWAC Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park.
 
It was a nail biter to the end once the race began as TSU established its position in the top half but was in third place after the first 1,170 kilometers. The team moved up to second after the 2,170-kilometer mark as Jose Gonzalez held his ground in second place while David Livingston moved up the ranks.
 
At the 3,000-kilometer mark, the race turned into an all-Texas affair as SWAC rival Prairie View A&M topped the charts with TSU close behind. The Panthers had four runners within the top 11 spots while Gonzalez was the only Tiger in the top 11 at that point. At the halfway mark (4,000 kilometers), PVAMU still maintained a stronghold, but TSU began to make that final push to put themselves in position to make a late run.
 
With only 1,000 kilometers left and the SWAC Championship at stake, Martinez relayed his final message to the team which was something he has preached all season long.
 
With the meet coming to an end, TSU was still behind at the 7,000-kilometer mark as PVAMU had a five-point lead and three runners inside the top 10 compared to only one from TSU.

However, the Tigers fought through the pressure and persevered as Gonzalez placed second while Brandon Washington made a late push to move into the top 10 as he surpassed three runners to finish ninth while freshman Jeremiah Barrera (11^th) and senior Dan Lerma (14^th) maintained their positions along with Livingston to seal the seventh title in school history.
 
TSU won its second SWAC Cross Country Championship in four seasons as its last title was in 2019. The experience came in handy as a pair of Tigers were part of the 2019 squad as freshmen.
 
Gonzalez earned All-SWAC First Team honors while Washington was named to the second team. Head men's track and field/men's cross country coach Clyde Duncan, Sr. was named the 2023 SWAC Coach of the Year.

A complete listing of the All-SWAC awards is listed below. 

Coach of the Year
Clyde Duncan, Sr., Texas Southern

Runner of the Year
Kelvin Kipkemboi, Alcorn State
 
All- SWAC First Team
Kelvin Kipkemboi, Alcorn State
Jose Gonzales, Texas Southern
Abdiqadir Mohamed, Alabama State
Thierry Garcon, Prairie View A&M
Terrance Johnson, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
 
All-SWAC Second Team
Alocius Kipngetich, Alcorn State
Noah Green, Prairie View A&M
Jeremiah Hudson, Jackson State
Brandon Washington, Texas Southern
Jon Coulter, Alabama State
 
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, and Tennis.

Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, and Volleyball.
 
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.