Oakwood University Crowned the 35th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Champion

The 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge national championship team Oakwood University and runner-up Howard University joined by Honda executives. PRNewsfoto/Honda
The 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge national championship team Oakwood University and runner-up Howard University joined by Honda executives. PRNewsfoto/Honda

Oakwood University Crowned the 35th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Champion

Honda global brand slogan: The Power of Dreams – How we move you. ()

Oakwood University bested 31 teams to win the 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship--the nation's premier HBCU academic competition--and a $100,000 institutional grant from Honda

Howard University, Spelman College and Morehouse College finished in the top four

To watch highlights from the National Championship Tournament, visit HCASC.com

TORRANCE, Calif., PRNewswire -- Following a commanding final game series, Oakwood University secured top honors and a $100,000 institutional grant from Honda at the 35th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), America's premier academic competition for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Hosted on the American Honda corporate campus in Torrance, Calif., more than 200 HBCU students and their coaches participated in this year's HCASC National Championship Tournament. Beyond the competition, the HCASC program included student networking opportunities and activities with HBCU presidents and representatives. Honda provided more than $500,000 in institutional grants to the participating HBCUs.


Oakwood University earned the 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge national championship title and a $100,000 institutional grant from Honda.

The 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge national championship team Oakwood University and runner-up Howard University joined by Honda executives.

"Congratulations to the scholars from Oakwood University on their dynamic performance and national championship win at the 2024 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge," said Yvette Hunsicker, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "On behalf of Honda, we applaud all the 35th anniversary HCASC participants on their exemplary display of HBCU excellence. We also thank all the volunteers and alumni who made this year's program possible."

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is a year-round program that celebrates HBCU academic excellence and challenges students to expand their scope of knowledge on a wide range of topics, with the opportunity to gain lifelong learning skills, including leadership, collaboration, and sportsmanship. Sixty-four teams competed in a series of national qualifying tournaments earlier this year and were narrowed down to field of 32 teams that participated in the HCASC National Championship Tournament. Based on the program's emphasis on making "Friends for Life," participating students share in the opportunity to build camaraderie with their peers from other HBCUs and gain mentorship opportunities with HCASC alumni and Honda associates.

The 2024 HCASC theme, "Live Your Dream," aims to inspire students to embrace their dreams and manifest the success and achievements they envision for themselves.

Oakwood University Earns 2024 HCASC National Championship Title

In a two-game sweep during the 35th HCASC National Championship final match, the scholars from Oakwood University defeated the Howard University team by accurately answering questions about history, science, literature, religion, the arts, and pop culture. Oakwood bested teams from 31 HBCUs and qualified for the National Championship Tournament after winning a series of regional competitions throughout the academic year.

The winning team was coached by Dr. Steven Lai Hing and includes team captain Jonathan Gunthrope, a senior majoring in Finance from Westchester, N.Y.; Hannah Browning, a senior majoring in Film & Television Production from Powder Springs, Ga.; Janiah Hinds, a sophomore majoring in History from Memphis, Tenn.; and Grayson Mejia, a senior majoring in Applied Mathematics from Henrico, Va. This year marks Oakwood University's 28th appearance in a Honda Campus All-Star Challenge national championship tournament and its fourth win.

"Winning HCASC in one word? Unbelievable," said Mejia. "This is my fourth year competing, and I just really can't believe it happened."

"I want to thank our players for their work ethic, drive, and sportsmanship. They were champions to me before the trophy. This win just confirms for everyone else what I already knew," added Dr. Lai Hing.

Runner-up Howard University received a grant from Honda, as did the third and fourth place finishers–Spelman College and Morehouse College, respectively. Albany State University, Hampton University, Lincoln University-Pennsylvania and Tennessee State University rounded out the "Great 8" teams that competed in the HCASC Finals. In all, Honda will distribute more than $500,000 in institutional grants to the 32 participating schools.

Celebrating Individual Contributions

For 35 years, dedicated coaches, volunteers and program alumni have helped to make the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge a success. This year's HCASC competitors selected Lauren Nicole Johnson of North Carolina Central University to receive this year's Ernest C. Jones Sportsperson Award, which recognizes a student who epitomizes team spirit, camaraderie, good sportsmanship, and academic focus during the National Championship Tournament. The award is named for one of HCASC's early volunteers who mentored many HBCU students.

Clayton Mack of North Carolina Central University was recognized as Coach of the Year. Investment and commitment of time and resources are important to building a successful HCASC program and team. Mack's relationship with HCASC spans more than 30 years. He played for North Carolina Central's team before returning as an assistant coach after graduation. His passion for developing students into top-tier players earned him the head coach title that he has held ever since. In addition to his own team, Mack has fostered relationships with other competitors, helping to raise the bar beyond the borders of North Carolina.

The HBCUs that qualified for the 2024 HCASC National Championship Tournament included:

Alabama A&M University

Alabama State University

Albany State University

Allen University

Central State University

Claflin University

Dillard University

Edward Waters University

Fisk University

Florida A&M University

Fort Valley State University

Hampton University

Harris-Stowe State University

Howard University

Lincoln University-Pennsylvania

Livingstone College

Morehouse College

Morgan State University

Norfolk State University

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Central University

Oakwood University

Paul Quinn College

Prairie View A&M University

Shaw University

Southern University - Baton Rouge

Spelman College

Tennessee State University

Tuskegee University

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Virginia State University

Winston-Salem State University

Honda continues to drive the legacy of HBCUs through programs like HCASC and Honda Battle of the Bands, the nation's premier showcase for HBCU marching bands and dance teams, which is set to return in 2025. Honda also has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF to provide scholarship funding to support HBCU students pursuing an education in engineering, supply chain management, and manufacturing-related fields.

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