Albany, Ga. – The Albany State University women's cross-country team delivered a championship performance on Friday evening at Radium Springs Park, scoring 50 points to claim first place at the 2025 Willie Laster Invitational. With the victory, the Lady Golden Rams successfully defended their title and remain the Women's Champions of the Willie Laster Invitational, a distinction they have held since 2022.
The Golden Rams showed depth and balance across the lineup, placing four runners in the top 20. Freshman
Brea Vann paced ASU with a strong second-place finish, clocking 20:28.1 with an average mile of 6:34.9. She was closely followed by fellow freshmen
Faith Thompson (21:03.5) and
Sydney Haywood (21:11.5), who finished fifth and sixth overall, respectively, to strengthen Albany State's hold at the top.
Veteran leadership also played a key role as senior
Dasia Gilyard finished 20th (23:37.0) and freshman
Breona Issac took 21st (23:39.6), rounding out the Golden Rams' top-five scorers. Seniors
Azzaria Brown (23:50.9, 23rd) and
Kaila Wimes (24:11.0, 25th) added consistent performances, while freshman
Taryn Adams closed out the ASU lineup with a time of 28:14.6.
The Lady Golden Rams' victory not only highlights the team's depth and blend of experience with new talent but also continues the program's tradition of excellence in its signature home event.
Up Next:
Albany State will return to competition on the road as they travel to Tallahassee to participate in the FSU XC Invitational, hosted by Florida State.
Stay Connected
For complete coverage of ASU Athletics, follow us on social media @asugoldenrams (Instagram), @ASUGoldenRams (Twitter), ASU Rams Nation (Facebook), or visit the official home of the Golden Rams at
www.asugoldenrams.com.
ABOUT ALBANY STATE ATHLETICS
Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 11 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's soccer, baseball, and football with all teams compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), except women's soccer, which participates in the Peach Belt Conference.
