UMES Men Finish Third at MEAC Cross Country Championships, First Top-Three Finish Since 2019

Banele Mkabela, Nkanyezi Ziqubu and Siyabonga Mbatha earned All-MEAC honors Friday in Cary, N.C. The Hawks women placed eighth.

Amina Rowe · Bayside Bleachers · October 31, 2026

A pair of running spikes on the grass of a cross country course lined with small flags in autumn — AI-generated illustration; not a photograph.

CARY, NORTH CAROLINA — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's cross country team placed third at the MEAC Championships on Friday, the program's first top-three conference finish since 2019, according to UMES athletics.

Banele Mkabela led the Hawks in sixth place in the 8-kilometer race in 24:38.7. Nkanyezi Ziqubu was seventh in 24:44.6, and Siyabonga Mbatha was 11th in 25:03.6. All three earned All-MEAC honors, which go to the top 15 finishers.

Norfolk State won the men's title with 35 points, Delaware State was second with 62 and UMES third with 87.

The UMES women placed eighth with 213 points. Rihanna Gayle led them in the 5K in 23:37.6.

Source: UMES Athletics

Also: Official results (men), Official results (women), TFRRS

Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.

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