The North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) team participated in the 36th Annual National Championship Tournament and reached the “Super Sixteen” playoff round. The tournament took place in Torrance, California on April 12-16, 2025.
Representing NCCU at the tournament were varsity captain Cerenity Iman Shakur, a junior biomedical sciences major from Columbia, SC; Ronni Simone Butts, a sophomore political science major from Charlotte; Makala Janae Evans, a senior information technology and business major from Durham; and Auston Terrell Parker, a senior mechanical engineering major from Cary. Clayton C. Mack, Jr. coached the team. The varsity competitors were joined by Dr. Janice S. Dargan, faculty adviser; Chantel Alyssa Chestnutt, a sophomore majoring in history and political science from Goldsboro; and Genayah Loranne King, a sophomore majoring in accounting from Painesville, Ohio.
When back on campus, the four varsity members are challenged in practice by their other teammates, numbering thirteen students who represent eight majors, twelve different NC cities, and three states.
NCCU competed in the Hazel Scott Yellow Division named in honor of the jazz pianist who was the first black American to host a television show. In the six games of round-robin play, the Eagles defeated Dillard University (LA) twice, completed a 1-1 record each against Lincoln University (PA) and Livingstone College, and finished with a 4-2 standing. The Eagles then advanced to the “Super Sixteen” playoff round where they lost in a nail-biter to Howard University. The team’s achievement earned NCCU a $7,000 institutional grant.
In addition to the outstanding team performance, Ronni S. Butts was named an HCASC All-Star awardee based on her highest per-game point average among the competitors in the Scott division. The All-Star designation earns the participating institution an additional $2,500 grant.
This year marks the 24th time that the NCCU quiz bowl team has advanced to the playoff rounds of this tournament. Moreover, in its 35 years of participating in Honda’s national competition, NCCU has won more than $294,000 in institutional grants from Honda.
Founded in 1989, the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is the oldest academic competition among students at America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Honda has continuously sponsored the program since its inception. The fast-paced buzzer competition highlights students’ academic prowess and ability to answer questions about history, science, literature, religion, the arts and pop culture. The challenge is open to all four-year-degree-granting HBCUs in the continental U.S. More than 125,000 students have participated in the competition, where schools vie to qualify for the annual National Championship Tournament. The national champion is awarded a $100,000 institutional grant.
Follow the team on Instagram @NccuHCASC.