Under soggy conditions, the SWAC’s best distance runners took to the course to prove their worth. When it was all said and done, two statements lingered through the air.

One champion defends; one champion dethroned.

That was the theme of the 2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships held Monday, November 04, 2002 at the Word of Faith Golf Course in Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson State University served as the host institution for the event.

In men’s 5.1-mile run, Southern University defended its crown with a meet score of 62 points. Grambling State tallied 69 points (second place) and Jackson State finished with 77 points (third place). The top finisher in the men’s race was Alabama State’s Frances Korir who ran a time of 25:58.23. Grambling’s Feedly Benneau came in second with a mark of 26:30.41 while Jackson State’s Terrell Daughtery finished third with a time of 28:45.63.

In the women’s 3.1-mile race, Grambling State – led by three top ten finishers – held off Alabama State to capture the women’s title. Grambling finished with 51 points; Alabama State tallied 71 points. Alcorn State finished third with 73 points. Texas Southern’s Noeleene Harris was the top finisher for the women with a time of 19:32.42. Alabama State’s Ruth Nakatudde had a mark of 19:43.42; Jackson State’s Ebanie Lewis finished with a time of 20:00.43.