ALBANY, Ga. — The Albany State University women's cross country team will return to action Friday, Oct. 9, as the Golden Rams travel to Tallahassee, Florida, to compete in the FSU XC Invite hosted by Florida State University at Apalachee Regional Park. The meet will serve as Albany State's final scheduled competition before turning its attention toward the SIAC Championships.
Albany State enters Friday's meet coming off a strong performance at the Georgia Tech XC Invitational in Atlanta, where every returning Golden Ram recorded a personal-best time in the 6K.
Sophomore Brea Vann once again led the Golden Rams, completing the course in 23:46.1. Faith Thompson followed closely behind with a time of 23:54.2, while Sydney Haywood crossed the finish line in 24:36.5.
Jehzaria Middleton finished in 25:02.5, followed by Zahriya Sullivan at 26:32.3 and Charity Tukes at 26:46.4. Senior Jayda Spikes recorded a time of 27:10.8, while Nyidjah Ives rounded out Albany State's finishers at 29:39.44.
The Golden Rams have continued to show progress throughout the season under head coach Robert Smith as they prepare for another postseason run. Albany State entered the 2026 campaign as the two-time defending SIAC champion and will look to use Friday's competitive field as another opportunity to prepare for the conference championship.
Friday will also give Vann another opportunity to continue her strong sophomore campaign. The Smyrna, Tennessee native has consistently paced Albany State this season and has established herself as one of the Golden Rams' top runners.
The FSU XC Invite will take place at Apalachee Regional Park, a course that will also host the 2026 NCAA South Regional Championships in November.
Following Friday's meet, Albany State will turn its attention to the SIAC Championships as the Golden Rams continue their pursuit of a third consecutive conference title.
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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 12 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, and football, with all teams competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
