2011 NSU Women's Track Media Guide

W W W. N S U S PA R TA N S. C O M2

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE

2010-11 NORFOLK STATE WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD TEAM

Front row (seated, left-right): Ashleigh Joseph, Naomi Hargrove, Rayiana Johnson, Jonee’ Artis, Champagne Bell, Shanneka Claiborne, Syeeda Gee

Middle row (kneeling, left-right): Alicea Teamer, Teressa Nance, Andrea Saunders, Ashley Sessoms, Alaina Hite, She’Anna MItch-ell, Tierra Flowers, Elaine Rhoades, Academic Advisor Vicki Jones-Whitties

Back row (standing, left-right): Director of Track & Field Kenneth Giles, Head Coach Ronda Berard, Assistant Coach Dwayne Miller, Assistant Coach Serge Bengono, Kellen Rutto, Kaleena Gray, Jamia Hutto, Wanetta Kirby, Ashanti Matthews, Tyler Savage, Assistant Coach Jerry Price

2010-11 NSU TRACK TEAM

W W W. N S U S PA R TA N S. C O M 3

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDESAMPLE TEXT

NSU President ....................................................................... 4NSU Athletics Director ...................................................... 5About Norfolk State University .................................... 6NSU Timeline ......................................................................... 7NSU Athletics Highlights ................................................. 8About Hampton Roads ...................................................10NSU Athletics Foundation ............................................12Strength & Conditioning Program ...........................13Athletics Administration ...............................................14Athletics Department Directory ................................16Coaching Staff

Director Kenneth Giles .................................................17 Head Coach Ronda Berard .........................................18 Assistant Coaches ..........................................................19 Meet the 2010 -11 Spartans

Roster .................................................................................20 Season Outlook ..............................................................21 Schedule ...........................................................................22 Returner Profi les .............................................................23 Newcomer Profi les ........................................................32NSU 2010 Season In Review.........................................34The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference .....................35

Norfolk State University

2010-11 Women’s Track

Quick Facts

University InformationLocation ...................................................................Norfolk, Va.Founded ................................................................................1935 Enrollment ............................................................Nearly 7,000Mascot............................................................................ Spartans School Colors .....................................................Green & Gold Affi liation ..................................................................... Division IConference ....................Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Acting President .............................................Dr. Kim LuckesAthletics Director ........................................... Marty L. MillerAthletics Phone ..............................................(757) 823-8152 Ticket Offi ce .....................................................(757) 823-9009

Sports InformationSID ........................................................................ Matt Michalec Email ....................................................... [email protected] SID Phone .........................................................(757) 823-2628 SID Fax ...............................................................(757) 823-8218 Cell .......................................................................(757) 592-1245Mailing Address ......... NSU Offi ce of Sports Information 700 Park Ave., Norfolk, VA 23504Website ..............................................www.nsuspartans.com

Coaching Staff Director of Track & Field ...........Kenneth Giles (8th year)Head Women’s Coach ................ Ronda Berard (6th year)Alma Mater ............................. Southwestern Louisiana ‘90Assistant Coaches ................... Jerry Price, Dwayne Miller ........................................................................Serge BengonoTrack Offi ce ......................................................(757) 823-2104

Team Information2009-10 MEAC Indoor Finish .................................................... 1st2009-10 MEAC Outdoor Finish .............................................2ndLetterwinners Returning/Lost ..........................................18/10Newcomers .................................................................................................6

The 2010-11 NSU Women’s Track Media Guide was written, edited and produced by the NSU Sports Information Offi ce, director Matt Michalec and assistant Mike Bello. Editorial assistance was provided by Craig Cotton and Marty Miller. Photography was provided by Dominion Photography, Jerry S. Altares, Mark’s Digital Photography and NSU Marketing Services. Special design assistance was provided by Steve Gray.

TABLE OF CONTENTS NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE



Kim Luckes (LEW-kus), J.D., the acting president of Norfolk State University, previously served as the liai-son to the NSU Board of Visitors and assistant to the president. Luckes holds a bachelor’s degree from Elizabeth City State University and a juris doctor degree from North Carolina Central University’s School of Law. Addition-ally, she is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina, Class XII (2005) and has participated in the Mabel Parker McLean Women’s Leadership Development Forum of the United Negro College Fund, Inc. (April 2004). She is also a member of the 2011 CIVIC Leadership Institute. A native of Newport News, Va., Luckes brings more than 20 years of administrative experience in higher education to Norfolk State. Prior to NSU, she served as executive vice president at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. As Executive Vice President, she was responsible for the areas of institutional eff ectiveness, person-nel management, and strategic planning and assessment. Additionally, Luckes was responsible for the day-to-day operations at Saint Augustine’s College. Before assuming the position of Executive Vice President, she served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Aff airs at St. Augustine’s. In that role, Luckes was responsible for the oversight and execution of education policy; supervision of programs of instruction of faculty and instructional budgets, and faculty and staff eff ectiveness and development. Luckes also held several higher education administration positions at Hampton University, serving as Direc-tor of Human Resources and Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President and Provost. She serves and takes great pride in her volunteer work as a peer evaluator with the Commission on Colleges, Southern Associa-tion of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Luckes is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Highlights from her career include the following:

• Nauticus Board of Directors (2009-present) • Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees (2009-present) • Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Regional Board of Trustees (2009-present) • Hampton Roads Partnership Board of Directors (2009-present) • Urban League of Hampton Roads Board of Directors (2009-present) • Greater Norfolk Corporation Board of Directors (2009-present) • National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Distinguished Alumni Award (2009) • Outstanding Leadership Award from City of Newport News (1995) • Outstanding Educational Support Award from City of Hampton (1994) • Nominee, Governor’s Emergency Medical Services Award, Commonwealth of Virginia, Offi ce of Emergency Medical Services (1993) • Distinguished Leadership Award, The United Negro College Fund, Inc. (1990) • Chief Academic Offi cers’ Task Force, Council of Independent Colleges • Society of Human Resource Management • College and University Personnel Association • Association of College Administration Professionals • Kid’s Voting North Carolina Wake County Board of Directors

NSU PRESIDENT


SAMPLE TEXT NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE

Marty Miller has been called many things during his tenure at Norfolk State University. Some have called him a rock. Others have referred to him as one of Nor-folk State’s greatest ambassadors. Regardless of the label, what’s clear is that Miller has served his alma mater in various capacities for nearly 40 years, providing NSU with stability in times of need.

His professional career at Norfolk State has included stints in the areas of fi nancial aid, career services, student aff airs and athletics. After winning more than 700 games as the school’s baseball coach, Miller was named NSU’s acting athletics director on December 16, 2004. He was appointed to the permanent athletics director post on March 18, 2005. Early in Miller’s tenure, he was confronted with many chal-lenges, the biggest one being the hiring of a football coach. Miller and his search committee worked during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays to fi nd a football coach. The hard work paid off when the decision was made to hire Pete Adrian from Bethune-Cookman. With approval of then-President Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, Adrian became the fi rst white head coach in any major sport at NSU and the second ever in MEAC football history. Shortly thereafter, with help from alumni, fans, friends and the Department of Facilities Management, the athletics depart-ment was able to raise funds to renovate and purchase new equipment for the weight room. In 2007, the school completed a major renovation of the NSU Softball Field, which included the installation of new team dugouts and a press box. Bleacher renovations to Joseph Echols Hall were completed for the 2008-09 basketball season. A new track surface is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2010. Another highlight of his tenure as athletics director in-cludes NSU capturing the last six Talmadge Layman Hill awards, given annually to the top men’s sports program in the confer-ence. NSU has received a total of $145,000 for winning the awards. Miller was also presented in March 2006 with the Tom Fergusson Memorial Award, given annually to the area’s top sportsman by the Norfolk Sports Club. Miller is no stranger to winning. His career record as base-ball coach was 718-543-3. Miller fi rst started making a name for himself as a player at NSU from 1965-68. He hit .380 as a sophomore; .438 with eight doubles, two triples, three homers and 27 RBI as a junior; and .406 as a senior, when he became the fi rst Spartan player to be named an NCAA College Division All-American. Miller was an All-CIAA baseball selection in 1967 and 1968, and led the nation in doubles in 1968. Miller graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1969. An ROTC member in college, Miller was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army after he graduated. While on active duty, Miller was signed by the Minnesota Twins. Miller returned to his alma mater in 1972 as an assistant to baseball

coach Bob Andrews. The next season, Miller inherited the head-coaching job, which he held until early in 2005. Miller is the winningest baseball coach in CIAA history, having led the Spartans to a 584-374-3 record in their years in the league. Miller’s ledger in the CIAA includes 17 conference championships, including seven in a row from 1987-93; 12 post-season appearances; 15 CIAA Coach of the Year awards; six All-Americans and 22 players signed to pro contracts. He also won the 1980 NAIA District 19 Coach of the Year award after his team won the District 19 title. Between 1993-97, Miller won fi ve consecutive Louisville Slugger Awards, given to championship coaches. He was one of a select few baseball coaches to receive the award for fi ve consecutive years. In 1997, NSU honored Miller by building the Marty L. Miller Baseball Field. One year later, Miller led NSU to the MEAC Tour-nament championship round in the Spartans’ fi rst year in the league. He was named the MEAC Coach of the Year in 2000, and NSU reached the championship round again in 2001. The year 2003 was also a special one for Miller. In Febru-ary, Miller was inducted into the CIAA’s John B. McLendon Hall of Fame. In May, Miller earned his 700th career win with the Spartans when sixth-seeded NSU upset No. 2 Delaware State in the MEAC tournament. In August, Miller the player was hon-ored as one of eight inductees into the Norfolk State University Athletics Foundation Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame in November 2010. Miller, a native of Danville, Va., serves on the Norfolk Sports Club Board of Directors and serves as its president for 2011. Miller was also elected to serve on the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Honors Court beginning in 2009. He and his wife Liz have one son, Marty Eric, a former NSU outfi elder.

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDENSU ATHLETICS DIRECTOR



Norfolk State University was founded in 1935 as a beacon of hope to the region’s youth. Brought to life in the midst of the Great Depres-sion, Norfolk State was named the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University at its founding. By 1969, Norfolk State began its status as an independent college and was designated a university in 1979. Today, the University remains a source of inspiration for those who aspire to fulfi ll their dreams. A four-year public institution, Norfolk State is located in the dynamic Hampton Roads region and is close to the Virginia Beach oceanfront and downtown Norfolk. NSU has an enrollment of nearly 7,000 students.

A Strong Academic Profi le

NSU recently received reaffi rmation of its accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Ga. 30033-4097, 404-679-4501) which is eff ective through 2018. In addition, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology also was awarded accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET. The School of Business received reaffi rmation of accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International and the School of Education received continuing accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Additionally, the National Collegiate Athletic Association recerti-fi ed Norfolk State’s intercollegiate athletics programs for NCAA ac-creditation, eff ective February 2009 for a 10-year period. The certifi ca-tion means that Norfolk State is considered to be operating under the principles adopted by the NCAA’s Division I membership. Norfolk State’s Athletics program is experiencing unprecedent-ed success at the NCAA Division I level. Athletes are competitive on the fi eld of play and in the classroom. During the academic year, NSU recognized more than 60 young men and women who were inducted into the Athletics All-Academic Team for 2008-2009. To qualify, the scholar-athletes had to have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4 point scale. This team includes fi rst-year and continuing students and represents all 15 of the department’s sports programs. From 2005-2010, NSU athletics has won the last six MEAC Men’s All-Sports Awards (Talmadge Layman Hill Award) and earned the department $125,000 during that period. Norfolk State University is also one of the top 50 producers of African-American Ph.D. recipients, according to Inside Higher Ed. The fi nding, based on a National Science Foundation report, says that Historically Black Colleges and Universities are graduating a growing share of African Americans who go onto earn Ph.D.s in science and engineering. Norfolk State’s Dozoretz National Institute for Mathemat-ics and Applied Sciences (DNIMAS) is specifi cally geared towards increasing the number of Ph.D.s in science, engineering, technology and mathematics. The program has been in place since 1986. More than 50 percent of DNIMAS scholars have earned advanced degrees.

Moving Forward

Norfolk State is making the right changes to provide the best learning and living experiences for its students. The University is in the midst of $80 million worth of capital improvements. Projects just completed, underway, or in the pipeline include the 84,500 square-foot New Student Center was completed in August of 2009; a new library and a new classroom building. The New Student Center off ers students a place to socialize as well as take care of student business. Offi ces for the Student Aff airs division and the Offi ce of Student

Activities are also located in the new center. It provides students with a two-level book store, a two-level wellness center and student lounges. The new library will be 132,000 square feet and will house library services, archives and a 24/7 café with Internet connection. The groundbreaking for the new library was held in June. The anticipated occupancy date is August 2011. A new nursing and general classroom building is in the planning stage. The building will have 13 labs, 33 classrooms, 39 group study/lounges and 63 offi ces. From the university choirs to the 250-member Spartan Legion Marching Band, Norfolk State is known for its rich music tradition. The marching band has made appearances at the Honda Battle of the Bands, while the University concert choir has toured the country. The choir is best known for its beauty of choral tone and the ability to ren-der exemplary performances of masterworks. NSU Choirs are among the most ardent and prominent ambassadors of the University.Behold, the Green and Gold!™

Location: Historic Norfolk, Va.; 134-acre campus 2 miles from downtown NorfolkExtended

Campus Center: Virginia Beach Higher Education CenterHistory: • Founded in 1935 as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University • Became the independent Norfolk Polytechnic College in 1942 • Became an independent institution in 1969 • Granted University status in 1979Enrollment: Nearly 7,000Acting President: Kim Luckes, J.D.Faculty: 300 + full-time equivalentDegree Off erings: 2 associate degrees; 32 bachelor’s degrees; 16 master’s degrees; 2 doctoral degreesAthletics: 15 intercollegiate teams (Division I; competing in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – MEAC)Student

Organizations: 125Website: www.nsu.edu

For more information on Norfolk State University, its academic programs and

community service projects, research, campus facilities, and other amenities,

please call the Offi ce of Communications and Marketing at (757) 823-8373.

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY

QUICK FACTS

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY

The Institution of Choice

ABOUT NSU



Sept. 7, 1935 – Samuel Fischer Scott appointed Director of Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University

Sept. 18, 1935 – Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University opened on the second fl oor of the Hunton Branch YMCA Building on Brambleton Avenue

June 1938 – Lyman Beecher Brooks became Director of Norfolk Unit of VUU

March 1942 – The Norfolk Polytechnic College was chartered to take over the functions and assets of the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University.

Feb. 29, 1944 – The Norfolk Division of Virginia State College was established by an act of the General Assembly

April 25, 1951 – The City of Norfolk transferred the deed of the Memorial Park Golf Course to the college as a permanent site

Sept. 1955 – The College moved into a new multipurpose administration classroom building on Corprew Avenue

Sept. 1956 – Norfolk Division of Virginia State College changed from a two-year junior college to a four-year, degree granting institution

1960 – James D. Gill Gymnasium erected

1969 – Mills Godwin Jr. Student Center opened

Feb. 1, 1969 – Norfolk State College emerged as an independent, four-year institution

1970 – Twin Towers dormitories erected

1972 – Lyman Beecher Brooks Library erected

1974 – Technology Center opened

May 1975 – College granted its fi rst master’s degree

June 1975 – President Lyman B. Brooks retired

July 1, 1975 – Harrison Benjamin Wilson became 2nd president

1977 – Samuel F. Scott men’s dormitory opened

1979 – Norfolk State became a University

Aug. 1979 – Academic programs re-organized into nine schools

1982 – Joseph G. Echols Hall erected

1984 – Harrison B. Wilson administration building erected

1996 – L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center erected

July 1997 – Marie V. McDemmond became 3rd president

May 2000 – First independent doctoral degree awarded

2005 – Alvin J. Schexnider became interim president

July 2006 – Carolyn W. Meyers became 4th president

2007 – The Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research dedicated

2010 – University celebrates its 75th anniversary

Norfolk State University Timeline

NSU TIMELINE NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE



The Norfolk State University intercollegiate athletics program has experienced unprecedented success at the NCAA Division I level during the past fi ve years (2005-10). This period of progress has been highlighted by improvements in virtually every area critical to transforming the NSU athletics program into a highly competitive program that will consistently challenge for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and NCAA Division I championships. The catalyst for these advancements has been Marty Miller, who was appointed athletics director at NSU in December 2004. Miller believes that the mission of the athletics program is an extension of the mission of Norfolk State University. He places an emphasis on areas that impact the welfare of student-athletes. Improving graduation rates, gender equity, and the retention of student-athletes are equally, if not more important, than winning conference and national championships. However, the initiatives designed to enhance the student-athlete experience and improve the overall administrative process have been successful due to the achievements of the teams and individual athletes. Perhaps the biggest achievement came in early 2009, when the athletics department was recertifi ed to receive NCAA accreditation for the next 10 years. By achieving certifi cation status, NSU is considered to be operating its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the NCAA’s Division I membership. Numerous staff and coaching hires have been made to enhance the department’s effi cacy. New personnel have been hired in the areas of aca-demic support, compliance, business operations and development to meet the growing demand in those departments. A host of new head coaches joined the staff signaling new beginnings in several sports. They included Pete Adrian (Football), Claudell Clark (Baseball), Anthony Evans (Men’s Basketball), Heidi Cavallo (Softball), and Wilhelmenia Harrison (Bowl-ing). Kenneth Giles (Men’s Track) and Ronda Berard (Women’s Track) were promoted from interim to full-time head coaches in their respective sports. Giles’ cross country and track teams have dominated the MEAC. Adrian has orchestrated the steady progress of the football team, which came

within a game of capturing its fi rst MEAC title in 2007. Evans led the Spartans

to the MEAC Tournament cham-pionship game in his second

year. Clark and Cavallo helped guide their teams to

runner-up fi nishes at the MEAC championships in their respective sports in 2008. Harrison guided the

bowling team to its fi rst MEAC Southern Division

regular-season champion-ship in 2008-09 and the No.

19 national ranking in 2009-10. The accomplishments

of NSU student-athletes in the classroom since 2005 have been equally

impressive. The number of athletes annually named to the MEAC Commis-sioner’s All-Academic Team has steadily increased, and now numbers 40 or more each year.

Academics

• Had 36 student-athletes (sophomores or higher) named to MEAC All-Aca-demic team (min. GPA: 3.0) in 2005-06


• Had 42 student-athletes (sophomores or higher) named to MEAC All-Aca-demic team (min. GPA: 3.0) in 2007-08 and 2008-09


• Increased student-athlete graduation success rate from 40% to 60% • Won the inaugural Division I Football Championship Subdivision Aca-

demic Progress Rate Award for having the MEAC’s highest cumulative APR for the 2008-09 school year

• David Kemboi was one of 50 student-athletes nationwide named to the 2006-07 Division I Men’s Cross Country All-Academic team as selected by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)

Administrative

• Hired a full-time assistant sports information director (January 2007)• Hired a full-time athletics academic coordinator (March 2008)• Hired a full-time strength and conditioning coach (August 2008)• Hired an associate athletics director for development (August 2009)• Hired an assistant athletics director for academic services, an assistant

compliance coordinator and an additional athletic trainer (August 2010)• Developed comprehensive gender-equity and catastrophic incident

guideline plans

Nor folk State University

Athletics Five-Year Highlights(2005-Present)

Tennis player Stepanka Velebova (left) is presented with the 2009 Scholar Athlete of the Year Award by NSU Professor Dr. Norma Brumage. Velebova was one of 42 NSU members of the 2009 MEAC All-Academic Team.

The following is a list of accomplishments and

improvements the NSU athletics program has

experienced since 2005.

ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS



Football

• Matched 2005 and 2006 win total (8-14) in 2007 with a record of (8-3)

• Record 10 NSU players named All-MEAC in 2007

• Pete Adrian named NSU’s fi rst MEAC Football Coach of the Year in 2007

• Earned school’s fi rst-ever na-tional FCS national ranking in 2007, reaching as high as 23rd

• Had its fi rst NFL draftee since 1996 when Don Carey was se-lected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2009 draft

• Had three members of the 2009 team sign professional contracts – Chris Bell (New Orleans Saints), Terrell White-head (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Dennis Brown (CFL’s Calgary Stampeders)

Football Attendance

• Ranked 20th in Division I FCS (I-AA) in 2005• Ranked 23rd in Division I FCS (I-AA) in 2006• Ranked 7th in Division I FCS (I-AA) in 2007• Had the 2nd and 3rd-largest crowds in Dick Price Stadium history in 2007:

vs. Hampton (27,756) and vs. Virginia State (26,970)• Set a stadium record in average attendance in 2007 (17,220 average for 6

games)

Men’s Basketball

• Won 16 games in 2007-08, a fi ve-win improvement over the previous year• Competed in the conference championship game in 2009 for the fi rst

time since joining the MEAC

Cross Country

• Won nine of the last 10 MEAC men’s titles, including a conference-record seven straight from 2000-06

• Sent a runner to the NCAA Division I National Cross Country Champion-ship for the fi rst time in school and MEAC history in 2006 (David Kemboi)

• Won the school’s fi rst-ever MEAC women’s title in 2009

Track & Field

• Became fi rst MEAC men’s track program to win both the indoor and outdoor conference championships for fi ve consecutive academic years (2006-10)

• Had two athletes (Marlon Woods, Corey Vinston) earn NCAA Division I All-American status in the same championship meet for the fi rst time in school history in 2009

• Won the school’s fi rst MEAC women’s indoor championship in 10 years in 2010

Facilities

• Renovated weight room in Gill Gymnasium in 2005, increasing size of existing room and purchasing new equipment

• Completed softball fi eld renovations in 2007-08, including construction of a press box, dugouts and restrooms

• Replaced the outfi eld wall at Marty L. Miller Baseball Field (summer 2007)• Completed refurbishing of women’s sports locker rooms in Gill Gymna-

sium (fall 2008)• Renovated the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall basketball arena to add

new chair-back seating (August 2008 and 2009)• Renovated and resurfaced the Dick Price Stadium track (summer 2010)

Program Awards

• Won the last six MEAC men’s all-sports awards (Talmadge Layman Hill Award) and earned the NSU Athletics Department $145,000 from 2005-10• Had the baseball, men’s basketball and football teams all post winning records in 2007-08 for the fi rst time in the Division I era

Media Exposure

• Transitioned the department’s web site from the www.nsu.edu domain to a new and improved web site, www.nsuspartans.com, in the fall of 2007

• Hosted the school’s fi rst two nationally-televised softball games in 2007 and 2008

• Had six sporting events televised on ESPN networks (thee football games, two men’s basketball, one softball) in 2007-08, most in school history

• Had fi ve sporting events televised on ESPN networks (three football games, two men’s basketball) in 2008-09

• Began airing a weekly radio show, Inside Spartan Sports, on Fox Sports affi liate WXTG 102.1 FM in January 2009

• Conducted live video streaming for the fi rst time in 2009-10, broadcast-ing 16 athletic events on the department’s web site

• Had two men’s basketball plays featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays on February 22, 2010

• Redesigned the school’s current web site again in the summer of 2010NSU became the fi rst MEAC school since 2003 to sweep the MEAC men’s and women’s indoor track and fi eld titles when they accomplished the feat in 2010.

Defensive back Don Carey became the fi rst Spartan football player to be drafted in 13 years when the Browns selected him in the 2009 draft.

NSU completed a $550,000 renovation and resurfacing of the Dick Price Stadium track in the summer of 2010.

ATHLETICS HIGHLIGHTS NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE

W W W. N S U S PA R TA N S. C O M1 0


The vibrancy of city life, the charm of the sea-shore, the verdant countryside, the wild preserves and the historic landmarks are just a few of the features found in Hampton Roads. The area, which includes the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesa-peake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suff olk, has a growing population of about 2 million.

There are numerous attractions within each city. Norfolk has its Waterside, a festive marketplace similar to those in Baltimore, St. Louis and Boston. The fi nancial and cultural hub of Virginia, Norfolk is the home of the world’s largest naval installation and serves as headquarters for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As a cultural center, its features include the Chrysler Museum, the Douglas MacArthur Memorial, the Nauticus National Maritime Center, the Virginia Symphony and several theater companies, including Norfolk State University’s own NSU Players.

HAMPTON ROADS

W W W. N S U S PA R TA N S. C O M 1 1


Besides a long and beautiful coastline, Virginia Beach off ers numerous landmarks, including the fi rst landing cross (where the fi rst settlers touched the shores of the New World in 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock); The Adam Thor-oughgood House, probably the oldest brick house in America, dating back to 1636; and Mount Trashmore, a project that turned a mountain of solid waste into an innovative recreational compound with bicycle trails, picnic areas, and soapbox derby and cross-country courses around two lakes used for a myriad of recre-ational water sports. The unique 17-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel links Virginia Beach with Virginia’s Eastern Shore and a national wildlife refuge.

The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the Children’s Museum are located in Portsmouth. Newport News has the Mariners’ Museum, which houses one of the world’s most extensive nautical collections, while Hampton is home of the Air and Space Museum.

NSU is just off Interstate 264 within walking dis-tance of downtown and other major area attractions, such as the Scope, Chrysler Hall and MacArthur Center Mall.

Hampton Roads has three daily newspapers, one African-American weekly, three independent TV sta-tions and more than 30 radio stations.

HAMPTON ROADS NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE



A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Norfolk State University’s proud legacy of achievement incollegiate athletics began at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). NSU was one of the league’s most dominant programs, winning championships in every sport the school off ered. In 1997, NSU joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference(MEAC), one of only two NCAA Division I conferences comprisedof historically black colleges and universities. Other conference members include: Bethune-Cookman College, Coppin State College, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, the University of Maryland-East-ern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University. NSU made an immediate impression in the conference in2000-01, winning the Talmadge Hill Award – presented annually tothe member whose men’s teams compile the most points based on team fi nishes in conference competition. The Spartans won the Talmadge Hill Award again each year from 2005-10. In all, NSU haswon conference titles in men’s and women’s track, men’s andwomen’s cross country, and women’s basketball during its brieftenure in the MEAC.

Why Support Norfolk State University Athletics?• NSU competes at the nation’s highest level of intercollegiate athleticscompetition – National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I- and is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).• The need to increase funding for scholarships for deserving student-athletes motivated by achievement both in athletics and academics.• Improvements and maintenance of equipment and facilities that will enable NSU student-athletes to perform at their full potential.• A competitive athletics program of the highest quality is consistent with the institution’s emergence an the “Institution of Choice.”• A competitive athletics program contributes to the enjoyment of thestudent-athlete experience.

Total Sports - 15Total Sports - 15

Women’s SportsWomen’s SportsBasketballBasketballBowlingBowling

Cross CountryCross CountryIndoor Track & FieldIndoor Track & Field

Outdoor Track & FieldOutdoor Track & FieldSoftballSoftballTennisTennis

VolleyballVolleyball

Men’s SportsMen’s SportsBaseballBaseball

BasketballBasketballCross CountryCross Country

FootballFootballIndoor Track & FieldIndoor Track & Field

Outdoor Track & FieldOutdoor Track & FieldTennisTennis

......................................................................................................................................................

Norfolk State UniversityNorfolk State University

Athletics FoundationAthletics Foundation

Board of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsFran Steward, PresidentFran Steward, President

Mervin Pitchford, Vice PresidentMervin Pitchford, Vice PresidentPhillip Brooks, TreasurerPhillip Brooks, Treasurer

Craig Cotton, Executive DirectorCraig Cotton, Executive DirectorMarty Miller, Athletics DirectorMarty Miller, Athletics Director

Robert BoydRobert BoydJacob L. CheeksJacob L. CheeksHarold HagansHarold HagansJohn HornbeckJohn Hornbeck

A. Graige Johnson A. Graige Johnson Curtis Maddox*Curtis Maddox*Langston PowellLangston PowellZackery RodgersZackery Rodgers

James Satterfi eld*James Satterfi eld*Donna Sample SmithDonna Sample Smith

John WarrenJohn Warren

* - Emeritus* - Emeritus

ATHLETICS FOUNDATION



The NSU Strength and Conditioning Program is administered by Reese Bridgman, NSU’s strength and conditioning coach. Bridgman has 26 years of coaching experience in athletics at the high school, college and professional levels. His resume includes a seven-year stint as head strength and conditioning coach at Central Flor-ida, where he worked with future professionals such as Daunte Culpepper, Asante Samuel and Brandon Marshall of the NFL and Mike Maroth of Major League Baseball. The NSU Strength and Conditioning Program exists to provide all 280+ NSU student-athletes with scientifi cally-sound performance-enhancement programs in the areas of strength, speed, explosive power and sports nutrition. Programs are conducted in the NSU athletics weight room, a 2,000-square foot facility in Gill Gymnasium that houses the equipment and accessories needed to devel-op championship-level NCAA Division I athletes. The strength and conditioning program also uses the NSU athletics department’s game and practice fi elds.The program develops athletes by means of functional strength training for strength and power utilizing Olym-pic lifts, power lifts, plyometric drills and additional supplementary lifts, particularly dumbbell exercises. The program trains speed in both linear and change-of-direc-tion movement. Athletes are taught recovery by develop-ing good eating habits that are appropriate for athletes training at the Division I level and by emphasizing the correct amount of rest. Athletes are trained in a team setting as a part of a year-round program. Athletes train two times per week in season and three to four times per week during the remainder of the year with a break between semesters and at the end of their sport’s season. Their annual plan consists of in-season, off season, preseason and holiday programs. All training schedules are administered within

NCAA guidelines for contact time with athletes in both required programs and voluntary programs. Part of the emphasis within the NSU Strength and Con-ditioning Program is on the athlete developing lifetime character qualities of teamwork, discipline, dedication, determination, respect for others and respect for hard work. Athletes are also expected to develop an interest in lifetime fi tness. “The Strength and Conditioning Program at NSU tries to remember that our athletes came to us to participate in and excel in their given sport, not to become weight lifters or body builders,” Bridgman says. “For this reason, we ap-proach strength and conditioning as a means to an end, and we encourage our athletes to learn from and enjoy the journey.”

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE



CRAIG COTTON

Craig Cotton is in his 10th year as associate athletics director for exter-nal operations. He is also in his sixth year as executive director of the NSU Athletics Foundation. Cotton joined the NSU athletics staff after serving as marketing manager at Howard University.

Cotton’s primary duties at NSU include developing and managing marketing and public relations projects with particular focus on the “Team Spartan Corporate Part-ners Program,” a comprehensive sports marketing initiative designed to attract corporate sponsorship and funding for the athletics program. Previously, Cotton worked for seven years in the Dela-ware State University Public Relations Offi ce. He arrived at the Dover, Del.-based institution in 1992 and served as sports information director for two years before his appointment as the university’s director of public relations and marketing in 1994. From 1988-1992, Cotton was associate director of sports information at Temple University. He worked for seven years (1981-1988) as sports information director and administrative assistant to the director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Cotton was also a press operations manager for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Ga.; 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina; and the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival in St. Louis, Mo. Cotton is a native of Greensboro, N.C., and a 1980 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English-mass communica-tions. He received the M.Ed. degree at Temple University in 1995. Cotton and his wife, Cynthia, reside in Norfolk, Va.

SHERIE CORNISH GORDON

Sherie Cornish Gordon is in her fourth year on staff in the NSU athlet-ics department. In May 2010, she was promoted to the position of associate athletics director for internal op-erations after holding that title in an interim capacity since February 2009. She also serves as the department’s

senior woman administrator. At NSU, Cornish Gordon is responsible for the supervi-sion of the department’s internal operations, including management of the department’s budget, oversight of game-day management, and supervision of equipment and facilities. In addition, she oversees the volleyball, soft-ball, bowling, men’s tennis and women’s tennis programs. Cornish Gordon began her tenure at NSU in January 2006 as the assistant for business operations and was soon thereafter promoted to assistant athletics director for busi-ness operations. She came to Norfolk State University in 2005 after serving as a senior administrative assistant at American University. She also served as an athletics department intern at the University of Maryland in 2004-2005 and as an assistant women’s basketball coach at her alma mater, Morgan State University, during the 2003-2004 school year. Cornish Gordon is a member of the National As-sociation of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Collegiate Athletics Business Management Association (CABMA) and the Minority Op-portunities Athletics Association (MOAA). She serves on the program committee for CABMA. She is a 2006 graduate of NACWAA’s Institute for Administrative Advancement and a 2009 graduate of the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females. Cornish Gordon was an accomplished basketball player at Morgan State, where she scored more than 1,000 career points. She was a four-year letter winner and was a team captain her fi nal three seasons. The former Sherie Cornish of Severna Park, Md., she earned her bachelor’s degree in sports administration from

Morgan State in 2002 and her master’s in sports manage-ment from Temple in 2004. Cornish Gordon currently resides in Suff olk, Va., with her husband, Ross, and son, Ethan.

KAREN HOLMES

Karen Holmes is in her second year as associate athletics director for development at NSU. Holmes’ primary responsibilities are to plan, coordi-nate and implement all development and fundraising activities for the athletics department. The ultimate goal is to increase funding for athletic

scholarships, capital projects and other athletic enhance-ments. Prior to NSU, Holmes has served as the foundation manager at the Norfolk Convention & Visitors Bureau since 2006. She was responsible for planning and directing the foundation’s operations to include fundraising, staffi ng, budgeting and research. Holmes has also held positions as a business account representative at Opportunity, Inc. and as a marketing consultant at LNC (local news on cable) channel 5 and the Hampton Roads Radio Group in the Southeastern Virginia area. Holmes is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD), Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council. Holmes, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in interdisci-plinary studies from NSU in 1998.

ALISHA TUCKER

Alisha Tucker is in her fi fth year working in the Norfolk State University athletics department. She assumed the role of associate athletics director for student services for the 2010-11 academic year after serving as assistant athletic director for compliance for the previous four

years. This year, Tucker also begins a four-year appointment to the NCAA’s Amateurism Fact-Finding Committee and will also serve as an NCAA Division I Certifi cation Peer Reviewer. Before coming to Norfolk State, Tucker served as the athletics eligibility specialist and curriculum coordinator at Marshall University from 2005-06. Tucker began her career as an assistant compliance coordinator at Michigan State University from 2001-02, and then earned a promotion to compliance coordinator at MSU in 2003. Tucker also worked as director of compliance at Villanova from November 2003 to June 2004, then was assistant athletics director for compliance at the University of Richmond from June 2004-January 2005. Tucker earned her bachelor’s degree in English lit-erature and composition from the University of Virginia in 1996. She earned her master’s in sports management from Old Dominion University in 2001. A Hampton native, Tucker was a track and fi eld athlete at Hampton High School. She was also a sprinter and hurdler on the U.Va. track team. Tucker was also the liaison between the student-government and the athletics department serving on various committees. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and currently resides in Hampton.

JAMAR ROSS

Jamar Ross is in his second year as NSU’s assistant athletics director for business operations. Ross served from July 2007 to April 2009 as associate sports information director at Old Dominion University. At ODU, he was the pri-mary media contact for the Monarchs’

start-up football team.

Previously, Ross was the sports information director at Hampton University from 2002-07. While at Hampton, Ross served on the Governance and Commitment to Rules Com-pliance Subcommittee for Hampton’s NCAA Recertifi cation Self Study. Ross also served as Sports Information Director at Winston-Salem State University in 2001-02, was the assistant SID at Hampton 2000-01, and completed a post-graduate internship at Southern Illinois University in 2000. He also served as a press room attendant at NCAA men’s basketball tournaments in 1997 and 2000. Ross graduated cum laude from Winston-Salem State University with a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 1999. He received his master’s in sports management from ODU in 2008. Ross also completed the NCAA Leader-ship Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females in 2008.

REESE BRIDGMAN

Reese Bridgman is in his third year as the Spartans’ assistant athletics director for strength and condition-ing. Bridgman oversees the strength and conditioning eff orts for all 15 of NSU’s sports programs. Bridgman previously served as the

strength and conditioning coach for the Newport News Apprentice School’s football program from 2005-07. He was also the Builders defensive coordinator in 2007 after coaching the defensive line in 2005 and 2006. Before moving to the Hampton Roads area, Bridgman was the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Central Florida from 1997-2003. Bridgman helped train 20 UCF football players who went on to make active NFL rosters, including the likes of Daunte Culpepper, Asante Samuel, Travis Fisher, Atari Bigby, Steve Edwards, Brandon Marshall and Rashad Jeanty. Other top-notch ath-letes he helped tutor at UCF include Major League pitcher Mike Maroth. Along with his strength and conditioning expertise, Bridgman has an extensive background as a football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. Bridg-man coached two seasons in the Arena Football League. He coached linemen and was the strength coach for the Orlando Predators in their ArenaBowl runner-up season of 1995. The following year, he worked in the same capacity for the Milwaukee Mustangs (now defunct). Bridgman’s one stint as a head football coach came at East Central Community College in his home state of Mis-sissippi from 1992-94. He has also worked as an assistant football coach at NAIA Georgia Southwestern College and at a pair of Division II schools, Southeast Oklahoma State and East Texas State (now known as Texas A&M-Com-merce). He also was men’s track coach during his tenure at Southeastern Oklahoma State. Bridgman, a native of Tylertown, Miss., got his football coaching start at Hattiesburg (Miss.) Prep in 1983. Bridgman, 47, received his bachelor’s degree in athletic administration and coaching from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1985. He earned his master’s in physical education with an emphasis in exercise physiol-ogy from East Texas State (Texas A&M-Commerce) in 1986. Bridgman is certifi ed through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, and the National Association of Speed and Explosion. He and his wife, Kelly, reside in Chesapeake.

MEGHAN ANTINARELLI

Meghan Antinarelli is in her fi rst year as assistant athletics director for sports medicine at NSU. Previously, she served for eight years as an ath-letic trainer within the department. Antinarelli, who is originally from Wellesley, Mass., received her bachelor’s degree in health and

physical education from the University of Massachusetts in 1998. She received her master’s degree in athletic training at Old Dominion University in 2001. She and her husband, Joseph, live in Suff olk and have one son, Nicholas.

ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION



JACQUELINE NICHOLSON

Jacqueline Nicholson is in her third year working in the NSU athlet-ics department. After serving as ath-letics academic coordinator the last two years, Nicholson was promoted to the position of assistant athletics director for academic support for the 2010-11 school year.

Nicholson’s responsibilities include advising all NSU student-athletes on issues of NCAA eligibility requirements and monitoring progress toward their degrees. Nicholson is also in charge of coordinating the academic support ef-forts for each team along with the academic enhancement counselors. Previously, Nicholson worked as an academic coor-dinator intern at Virginia Tech during the 2007-08 school year, assisting with the Hokies football team. She also served as a graduate assistant in the university academic advising center at Virginia Tech from 2005-07. A native of Clayton, N.J., Nicholson was a four-year let-terwinner for the Hokies track and fi eld team as a sprinter and hurdler. She was a member of the Virginia Tech all-aca-demic team and athletics director’s honor roll. She earned her bachelor’s degree in human development in 2005 and her master’s in educational leadership in 2007, both from Virginia Tech.

SHERESE PARKER

Sherese Parker was hired as the athletics academic coordinator at NSU in October 2010. Parker’s responsibilities include advising student-athletes on issues related to NSU and NCAA academic eligibility requirements and monitoring prog-ress toward their degrees. Parker is

also responsible for providing eff ective dissemination of campus information to faculty, staff , coaches and students. She coordinates the academic support eff orts provided by the academic enhancement counselors. Parker is not new to the area of academic support services at NSU. Previously, Parker worked as an intrusive academic advisor in the Academy for Collegiate Excellence and Student Success (ACCESS), reporting the academic progress of all students experiencing academic diffi culties. Parker has also previously served as an academic enhance-ment counselor for the athletics department. She came to NSU in 2006 as a trainer in assistive technology in the University’s disability services offi ce. A native of Washington D.C, Parker is highly involved in the NSU campus community. She is a faculty/staff mentor for young ladies on campus (L.A.D.I.E.S), facilitates workshops and presentations for various student organiza-tions and is a founding member of the NSU Chapter of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. Parker earned her bachelor’s degree from NSU in political science/pre-law in 2002 and has completed coursework toward her master’s degree in education at Cambridge College.

MATT MICHALEC

Matt Michalec is in his seventh full year as sports information director at NSU. He is in charge of coordinating media relations eff orts for all 15 of NSU’s athletics programs. His duties include the production of press guides, serving as the media liaison for the athletics department, keeping

statistics at all home athletic contests, and maintaining the university athletics web site. In 2006, he was named the Black College Baseball SID of the Year. Previously, Michalec worked for two years as a part-time sports reporter and editorial assistant at the Daily Press newspaper in Newport News, Va. Michalec graduated magna cum laude with a bach-elor’s degree in English and a minor in communications from Old Dominion University in 2002. He served as sports editor for ODU’s student newspaper during his time there. He got his professional start by working for two years as a sportswriter at the York Town Crier and Poquoson Post newspapers in York County, Va.

Michalec is a member of the College Sports Informa-tion Directors of American (CoSIDA) and the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). Michalec and his wife, Annie, live in Newport News and have a son, Brandon, and a daughter, Alexis.

MIKE BELLO

Mike Bello was hired as the assistant sports information director in August of 2010. He came to NSU after a pair of internships at Division I institutions. At NSU, Bello will be the main contact for volleyball, women’s basketball, softball, tennis and bowl-ing.

Prior to arriving at NSU, Bello spent the previous year at the University of South Florida as a full-time intern, where he was the main contact for track and fi eld and cross country as well as the secondary contact for men’s basketball and football. While at USF, Bello was part of a new initiative there that did away with traditional printed media guides and went to a new, interactive and online format that featured videos, photos and text all intermixed on a web-based platform. During the 2008-09 athletics season, Bello worked as an intern in the sports information offi ce at Harvard. He also spent the 2007-08 season volunteering with the sports information offi ce at Kent State University as part of his graduate work there. He has also volunteered with the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League and the Boston Breakers of the Women’s Professional Soc-cer League. Bello earned a bachelor’s of arts degree from Penn State University in journalism in 2004, and a master of arts degree in recreation and sports management in 2009 from Kent State.

JESSICA COLE

Jessica Cole is in her second year as the head assistant athletic trainer at Norfolk State University. Previously, Cole served as the assistant athletic trainer at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., for two years (2007-09). She also worked for two and a half years as the athletic trainer at

Chelsea Community Hospital Outpatient Physical Therapy in her native Chelsea, Mich. Cole earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Florida Southern College in 2004. She completed her senior internship with the WNBA’s Detroit Shock in 2004, and earned her master’s degree in exercise physiology from Eastern Michigan in 2008.

NICOLE DIETRICH

Nicole Dietrich is in her fi rst year as the assistant athletic trainer at Norfolk State University. Previously, Dietrich served as the assistant ath-letic trainer at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pa., for the past two and half years. A native of Lykens, Pa., Dietrich re-

ceived her bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Lock Haven University in 2004. She earned her master’s degree in psychology from Shippensburg University in 2007. Dietrich currently resides in Norfolk, Va.

DERRICK COLES

Derrick Coles is in his fi rst year as the compliance coordinator at Norfolk State University. His duties consist of handling many of the day-to-day operations of Norfolk State University’s compliance offi ce, specifi cally: monitoring playing/prac-tice seasons, monitoring recruiting

contacts/calls, overseeing the National Letter of Intent program, NCAA Special Assistance Fund and MEAC reports. In addition, Coles assists the associate athletics director with rules education for coaches and student-athletes and serves as a member of the eligibility certifi cation team.

Before coming to Norfolk State, Coles was the assis-tant director of sports information at Hampton University. Derrick assisted with the day-to-day activities of the Offi ce of Sports Information, as well as serving as the primary media contact for women’s basketball, volleyball, bowling and men’s and women’s tennis. He was also the secondary media contact for football. Before coming to Hampton, Coles spent six years as an assistant within the athletic department at Virginia Union University. His duties included assisting the sports information department with programs, media guides and game-day activities, as well as working with the compliance offi ce in reviewing academic records, practice schedules and athlete eligibility matters. Coles received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Virginia Union in 2007 and his master’s in sports man-agement from Virginia State University in 2009. Coles is a native of Richmond, Va. and his volunteer work includes the Special Olympics, the Rudy Johnson Foundation, the James Farrior Foundation, Richmond Sports Backers and Upward Sports Academy.

SHIRLEY BROOKS

Shirley Brooks is in her 11th year as the football administrative assis-tant for the NSU athletics department. Brooks oversees all administrative of the program, including coordinat-ing special events, player fi les and maintaining the recruiting database. A native of Hertford, N.C., Brooks

has three children: Derek, Dietrich and Verletita. She is cur-rently working toward her degree in tourism and hospital-ity management at Norfolk State.

WILLIAM WRIGHT

William “Ray” Wright is in his eighth year as the head equipment manager at NSU. Previously, Wright worked as a parking supervisor in NSU’s Offi ce of Parking and Trans-portation. He has also served as a security offi cer at NSU. A native of Portsmouth, Wright

lettered in football and track at NSU in the early 1980s. He was a member of the 1984 CIAA championship football team. Wright earned his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplin-ary studies and a minor in physical education in 1995. He is currently pursuing his master’s in administration. Wright has four daughters, Chiquita, Nikeya, Britney and Ashley; two granddaughters, Kyra and Destini, and one grandson, Michael.

NATE BELL

Nate Bell is in his 15th year as assistant equipment manager for the Norfolk State University athletics department. A native of Norfolk, Va., Bell is a 1994 graduate of Maury High School, were he lettered in football, and wrestling. Bell resides in Norfolk.

MICHELLE MacFARLANE

Michelle MacFarlane joined the Norfolk State University athletics staff as an administrative specialist in Sept. 2010. She comes to NSU after spending six years at Eastern Virginia Medical School as an administrative assistant. While there, MacFarlane’s duties

included composing correspondence, recording and dis-tributed minutes of faculty meetings, handling travel and catering arrangements, organizing and creating fl yers, and fi ling and organizing grades. During her time at EVMS, she also worked for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service as a tax preparer and instructor of basic tax course. MacFarlane completed classes at Old Dominion and Kee Business College, where she received her medical as-sistant diploma prior to working at EVMS.

ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE



..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... (Area Code 757)

Administration and Support Staff Director of Athletics: Marty L. Miller ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8152Faculty Athletics Representative: Dr. Carray Banks ............................................................................................................................................................................................823-2421Assoc. AD for Internal Operations/SWA: Sherie Cornish Gordon ..................................................................................................................................................................823-8404Assoc. AD for External Operations/NSUAF Executive Director: Craig Cotton ...........................................................................................................................................823-2667Assoc. AD for Development: Karen Holmes ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8645Assoc. AD for Student Services: Alisha Tucker .....................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2337Asst. AD for Sports Medicine: Meghan Antinarelli .................................................................................................................................................................................823-9547/8997Asst. AD for Business Operations: Jamar Ross ......................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2105Asst. AD for Strength and Conditioning: Reese Bridgman ..............................................................................................................................................................................823-2187Asst. AD for Academic Support: Jacqueline Nicholson ....................................................................................................................................................................................823-8751Athletics Academic Coordinator: Sherese Parker ...............................................................................................................................................................................................823-8170Sports Information Director: Matt Michalec .........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2628Asst. Sports Information Director: Mike Bello ......................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2628Compliance Coordinator: Derrick Coles .................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2337Head Assistant Athletic Trainer: Jessica Cole ............................................................................................................................................................................................823-9547/8997Assistant Athletic Trainer: Nicole Dietrich .................................................................................................................................................................................................823-9547/8997Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Brian Maurer ............................................................................................................................................................................823-2187Administrative Specialist: Michelle MacFarlane ..................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8152Equipment Manager: William Wright ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2022Asst. Equipment Manager: Nate Bell .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2022Cheerleading Coach: Carmen Harris .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8200Administrative Specialist/Football: Shirley Brooks .............................................................................................................................................................................................823-8824NSUAF Administrative Specialist: Chelsea Hall ....................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8692

Men’s CoachesBaseball: Claudell Clark, Head Coach ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8196 Asst. Coaches: A.J. Corbin .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-9533Basketball: Anthony Evans, Head Coach ................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8934 Asst. Coaches: Robert Jones/Larry Vickers/Kelvin Hawkins ...........................................................................................................................................................823-9192/2840Cross Country: Kenneth Giles, Head Coach ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8801 Asst. Coaches: Wycliff e Rotich/Harry Freeman ...............................................................................................................................................................................................823-8801Football: Pete Adrian, Head Coach ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8824 Asst. Head Coach/Off ensive Line: Rod Holder ................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8779 Asst. Coach/Defensive Coordinator: Mark DeBastiani .................................................................................................................................................................................823-2582 Asst. Coach/Interim Off ensive Coordinator: Joe Blackwell ........................................................................................................................................................................823-8533 Asst. Coach/Defensive Line: Mark Thurston ....................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8758 Asst. Coach/Defensive Backs: Marco Butler .....................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2495 Asst. Coach/Quarterbacks: Steve Canter ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2570 Asst. Coach/Wide Receivers: Paul Macklin .......................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8824 Asst. Coach/Defensive Assistant: C.J. Fayton ...................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8824Tennis: Matthew Halfpenny, Head Coach ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8821 Asst. Coach: Torrie Browning .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8821Track and Field: Kenneth Giles, Head Coach .........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8169 Asst. Coaches: Harry Freeman/Brandon Tynes/Cletus Griffi n....................................................................................................................................................................823-8169

Women’s CoachesBasketball: Debra Clark, Head Coach ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8441 Asst. Coaches: Lashondra Dixon-Gordon/Kenny Edwards .............................................................................................................................................................823-2132/8456Bowling: Wilhelmenia Harrison, Head Coach .......................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8152 Asst. Coach: Aundray Darden ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8152Cross Country: Ronda Berard, Head Coach ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2104 Asst. Coaches: Wycliff e Rotich/Harry Freeman ...............................................................................................................................................................................................823-2104Softball: Heidi Cavallo, Interim Head Coach .........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8194 Asst. Coach: Amanda Haverman ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8343Tennis: Matthew Halfpenny, Head Coach ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8821 Asst. Coach: Torrie Browning .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8821Track and Field: Ronda Berard, Head Coach .........................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2104 Asst. Coaches: Serge Bengono/Dwayne Miller/Jerry Price ........................................................................................................................................................................823-2104Volleyball: Brandon Duvall, Interim Head Coach ................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2804 Asst. Coach: Dave Albaugh ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2804

MiscellaneousFootball Press Box ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-2628Basketball Press Row .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8195Softball Press Box ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-0056Baseball Press Box ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-8196Ticket Offi ce ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................823-9009

ATHLETICS DIRECTORY



Kenneth Giles is in his eighth year as the head men’s track and fi eld coach at NSU and 12th as head men’s cross country coach. He is also in his second season as NSU’s director of track and fi eld programs. In that capacity, he oversees the operations of both men’s and women’s track and cross country programs with an empha-sis on recruiting, scheduling and home track meet operations.

Giles led the NSU cross country team to a record seven consecu-tive MEAC titles from 2000-06 and two more in 2008 and 2009. NSU

also captured top-12 fi nishes at the NCAA Southeast Cross Country Regional in 2002 (12th) and 2005 (8th). In the only two seasons under Giles that the Spartans did not win the confer-ence cross country title (1999 and 2007), they fi nished second.

Giles has also guided the Spartans’ track team to fi ve straight sweeps of the MEAC indoor and outdoor titles (2006-10). As an assistant track coach, he helped the Spartans to one MEAC indoor and one MEAC outdoor championship, both of which came in the 2000-01 school year.

During his tenure at NSU, Giles’ Spartans have won fi ve individ-ual MEAC cross country championships and earned three NCAA All-Southeast Region honors. One of those, David Kemboi, became the fi rst NSU and MEAC runner to qualify for the NCAA National Championship race.

Since taking over as head coach, Giles’ athletes have won 60 individual conference championships and garnered more than 100 All-MEAC honors on the track. Twenty-fi ve of his pupils have qualifi ed for the NCAA Regionals and three (Dominic Luka, Marlon Woods and Raphael Hall) have advanced to the NCAA National Championship meet. Woods was named the 2008 NCAA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year.

During his tenure, Giles also tutored fi ve All-Americans. Since Giles assumed head coaching duties, both Woods and Corey Vinston earned All-American honors in the long jump at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championship. While Giles served as an assistant, he worked with All-Americans Desmond Kapofu in the triple jump, Adrian Shears in the high jump and Olympian Christopher Brown in the 400 meters.

For his success in cross country and track, Giles has been named MEAC Most Outstanding Coach 19 times.

Giles coaches from his own running expertise. He was a stand-out 800-meter runner in college. In 1985, Giles earned Junior College All-American status by fi nishing eighth at the indoor national meet in the 800 for Hagerstown (Md.) Community Col-lege. He continued his success in that event at the University of North Florida, where he is still the 800-meter indoor record-holder.

At one time, Giles was also the personal coach for Brown, a for-mer Division I All-American sprinter at NSU. Brown, a three-time Olympian in 2000, 2004 and 2008 for his native Bahamas, won a silver medal in the 4x400 relay at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008.

Giles earned his bachelor’s degree from UNF in 1987. He is married to the former Dr. Jeterfonee Jones, and they have two children: Kenneth Jr. (14) and Ebone Kennya (11).

Kenneth GilesDirector of Programs

Head Men’s Track Coach

DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE


NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDEHEAD COACH RONDA BERARD

Ronda Berard is in her sixth year as women’s track and fi eld and cross country coach at NSU. She also serves as assistant director of track and fi eld programs. In all, Berard is in her 16th year on the coach-ing staff in the NSU athletics department.

In 2009, Berard helped the Spartan women’s cross country team win its fi rst-ever MEAC title. During track

season, the Spartans won their fi rst MEAC indoor title since 2000, and placed second at the conference outdoor championship.

In her fi rst year as head coach, Berard directed the Spartans to runner-up fi nishes in the 2005 MEAC Cross Country Championship and in the 2006 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championship.

Prior to taking over the reins of the program from long-time coach LaVerne Sweat in 2005-06, Berard served as an assistant coach for the Spartans for 10 seasons. Berard’s tenure as an assistant included two other MEAC championships, the 2000 indoor and 2001 outdoor titles. Berard has helped coach two Division I All-Americans during her time at NSU: reigning 400-meter world champion Debbie Dunn, who earned a pair of All-American honors in 2000, and long jumper Tianna Goldring (2004).

Berard came to NSU from Granby High School, where she was the assistant track coach in 1994-95.Berard earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1990 from the University of Southwest-ern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette). She was a scholarship track athlete at USL, and also played on the women’s basketball team. Berard was a two-time Sun Belt Conference champion in the discus throw, and at one time held the school’s shot put and discus records.

Berard earned her master’s degree in special educa-tion/severe disabilities rehabilitation counseling from NSU in 1997. She is also a 2008 graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy.

Berard, a Louisiana native, is a Diamond Lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is an active member of the organization’s Chesapeake/Virginia Beach Alumnae Chapter. She is married to Patrick Berard Sr. They have two children: Patrick Jr. and Aronji.Ronda Berard

Head Women’s Track Coach

Berard and Giles with their 2010 MEAC Indoor Most

Outstanding Coach awards.


Bengono lettered three years at George Mason University and excelled in the short sprints (60, 100 and 200 meters) and on the 4x100 relay team. He won the IC4A title in the 100 meters as a sophomore in 2001. Bengono still owns school records in the 60 meters (6.74), 100 meters (10.25) and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team (39.65).

Bengono transferred to George Mason from Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, Texas, where he won multiple NAIA All-Amer-ican honors and also played soccer as a freshman in 2000.

Bengono earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from George Mason in 2003 and his master’s in education with a concentration in school counseling from Cambridge College in 2011.

Serge BengonoAssistant Coach

Dwayne MillerAssistant Coach

Jerry Price is in his fi rst season as an assistant women’s track and fi eld coach at NSU. He will work primar-ily with the sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers.

Price brings 23 years of coaching experience to NSU. Most recently, Price was the head boys and girls track coach at Matoaca High School in Chesterfi eld, Va., from 1999-2009. His teams there won a total of eight district championships. Price coached numerous award-winning athletes at Matoaca. Among them are current Spartans Shanneka Claiborne (sprints) and Aramis Mas-

senburg (hurdles), who have both won MEAC championships in their respective events.

Prior to Matoaca, Price was the head boys and girls track coach at James River High School, also in Chesterfi eld, from 1996-99. He got his start in coaching as an assistant at Leesville High School in Leesville, La., from 1988-90.

Price has also served since 2006 as president and head coach of the Diamond Track & Field Club in Colonial Heights, Va.

A standout football player and track athlete in high school, Price graduated from Alabama A&M University with a bache-lor’s degree in sociology in 1984.

Jerry PriceAssistant Coach

Dwayne Miller joins the NSU women’s track and fi eld coaching staff this season. He will coach the sprinters, jumpers and multi-event athletes.

Miller has an extensive background in coaching at the high school, club, collegiate and professional level in the Hampton Roads area. Miller was an assistant coach at Christopher Newport University in Newport News during the 2009-10 school year and was a volunteer assistant at Hampton University from 2000-03. Prior to his collegiate experience, Miller was the head track coach at

Maury High School from 1996-99.

Miller got his start in coaching in 1991 with the Norfolk Real Deal Track Club, which tutors youth track and fi eld athletes in the Hampton Roads area. From 1991-2006, Miller helped coach 40 All-Americans and 20 national champions. His athletes went on to win fi ve world championship medals, three world junior gold medals and three Olympic gold medals. Among the no-table athletes he coached include LaShawn Merritt, 2008 Olym-pic and 2009 World Championship gold medalist in the 400 meters; LaTasha Colander Clark, 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400 meter relay; and Rachelle Boone-Smith, 2005 World Championship silver medalist in the 200 meters.

Miller was named the 2008 Nike Coach of the Year by USA Track & Field. He was also selected as the USOC Development Coach of the Year in 2004.

Miller earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communication from NSU in 1987. A sprinter and long jumper for the Spartans, Miller also competed professionally from 1988-94. He and his wife, Yolanda, have two sons, Duane and Marcus.

Serge Bengono is in his fi fth season as an assistant track coach at Norfolk State University. He came to NSU from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he assisted during the 2005 outdoor season.

Bengono boasts a wealth of collegiate and international experience. He is a two-time Summer Olympian, having competed in the 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney) Games for his native Cameroon in the 100 meters and on the 4x100 relay team.

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDEASSISTANT COACHES



Name Ht. Cl. Event Hometown/Previous School

Jonee’ Artis 5-6 Sr. Jumps Chesapeake, Va./Deep Creek HSChampagne Bell 5-6 So. Sprints/Jumps Norfolk, Va./Booker T. Washington HSShanneka Claiborne 5-4 Sr. Sprints Ettrick, Va./Matoaca HSTierra Flowers 5-6 Sr. Sprints Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville HSSyeeda Gee 5-1 Jr. Mid./Long Distance Philadelphia, Pa./Engineering & ScienceKaleena Gray 5-9 So. Throws Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville HSNaomi Hargrove 5-5 Fr. Sprints Warfi eld, Va./Brunswick County HSAlaina Hite 5-6 Sr. Hurdles/Jumps/Multi Chesterfi eld, Va./Manchester HSJamia Hutto 5-7 Jr. Middle Distance Orlando, Fla./Oak Ridge GSTanisha Jenkins 5-6 Sr. Jumps/Multi Louisa, Va./Louisa County HSRayiana Johnson 5-7 Fr. Sprints Chester, Pa./Chester HSAshleigh Joseph 5-4 Sr. Pole Vault Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith HSWanetta Kirby 5-11 Sr. Sprints/Jumps Richmond, Va./Huguenot HSAshanti Matthews 5-8 Jr. Hurdles/Jumps Norfolk, Va./Virginia State/Norview HSShe’Anna Mitchell 5-8 Sr. Jumps Newport News, Va./Heritage HSTeressa Nance 5-6 So. Sprints Temple Hills, Md./Forestville Military AcademyElaine Rhoades 5-6 Sr. Hurdles/Jumps/Multi Norfolk, Va./Bowie State/Booker T. Washington HSKellen Rutto 5-7 So. Mid./Long Distance Eldoret, Kenya/Moi Siongioi Girls HSDania Sanford 5-6 Sr. Sprints Marshall, Va./Fauquier HSAndrea Saunders 5-6 Jr. Pole Vault Chesapeake, Va./Oscar Smith HSTyler Savage 5-7 Fr. Middle Distance New Kent, Va./New Kent HSAshley Sessoms 5-6 Fr. Sprints Hampton, Va./Hampton HSAlicea Teamer 4-11 So. Sprints Waldorf, Md./McDonough HSKatie Wright 5-6 Jr. Pole Vault Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne HS

Director of Track & Field Programs: Kenneth GilesHead Women’s Coach/Asst. Director of Track & Field Programs: Ronda BerardAssistant Coaches: Serge Bengono, Dwayne Miller, Jerry PriceVolunteer Assistant: Cletus Griffi n

Pronunciations

1st Name Last NameJohn-AY Artistee-AIR-uh Flowerssigh-EED-uh Gee (soft G sound)Ray-AH-nuh JohnsonWah-NETT-uh KirbyKellen ROO-toeDah-KNEE-uh Sanford

2010-11 ROSTER


Spartans Look to Continue Upward TrendSpartans Look to Continue Upward TrendHead women’s track coach Ronda Berard welcomes back 11 seniors from last year’s team that came within a few events of pulling off a yearly sweep of the three MEAC cross country and track championships. With depth in nearly every event, the Spartans enter the 2010-11 track season with hopes of pulling off the elusive sweep this time around.

NSU boasts a wealth of talent and experience, perhaps in no area more so than the jumps. Seniors Wanetta Kirby, She’Anna

Mitchell and Jonee’ Artis all have MEAC high jump titles on their resumes. Kirby – one of the top all-around athletes in the conference – swept the indoor and outdoor high jump titles last season. She, Mitchell and Artis fi nished fi rst through third, respectively, at the MEAC outdoor meet.

In the triple jump, senior Elaine Rhoades looks to build on a solid junior campaign in her fi nal season of eligibility. The 2010 MEAC Indoor Most Outstanding Field Performer, Rhoades placed second in the triple jump and the pentathlon to help the Spartans capture the title. She also was the runner-up at the conference outdoor meet in the heptathlon. Senior Tani-

sha Jenkins and junior Alaina Hite add experience and depth behind Rhoades in the triple jump and in the multi’s.

Kirby placed fi fth at both MEAC championships last year in the long jump and will be joined by fi rst-year sophomore Cham-

pagne Bell as NSU’s top threats in that event.

Junior Katie Wright is also back as the conference’s premier pole vaulter. She has won three of the four conference titles in her fi rst two years in an event that the Spartans have domi-nated as of late. NSU took fi rst through fourth places at both

conference championship meets last season, and lose just one of those four athletes in graduated senior Candace Shoates. Senior Ashleigh Joseph and junior Andrea Saunders round out NSU’s returnees in the pole vault.

Berard expects big things from sophomore Kaleena Gray in the throwing events. She placed fi fth in the weight throw as a freshman at last year’s MEAC indoor championship, and Berard said Gray has shown steady improvement since last season. Gray is also the team’s top returning shot-putter.

NSU is well-stocked in the short sprints and hurdles this indoor season with the return of seniors Kirby, Shanneka Claiborne, Tierra Flowers and Dania Sanford. Claiborne is the defending MEAC 60-meter champion and also fi nished fourth in the MEAC in the 200 meters at both conference meets last season.

Flowers, who has one indoor season of eligibility remaining, is an experienced 60 and 200-meter runner. Kirby fi nished in the top four in the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles last season and will be joined by vastly improved junior Ashanti Matthews as threats to score points in the hurdles for NSU.

Sanford is a key member of the Spartan relay teams and also is the defending MEAC 400-meter indoor runner-up. Berard expects Bell to also be a force in the 400.

NSU’s middle- and long-distance eff orts will be led by its vet-eran cross country runners, paced by sophomore Kellen Rutto and juniors Jamia Hutto and Syeeda Gee.

Jonee’ ArtisHigh Jump

Shanneka ClaiborneSprints

SEASON OUTLOOKNORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE



INDOOR SEASON

Date Site/Event Location Dec. 5 CNU Holiday Open Newport News, Va. Jan. 8 George Mason Fairfax, Va. Father Diamond InvitationalJan. 15 Doug Raymond Invitational Kent, Ohio Jan. 21-22 Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational Blacksburg, Va. Jan. 28-29 Penn State Open University Park, Pa. CNU Captains Classic Newport News, Va. Feb. 5 CNU Vince Brown Invitational Newport News, Va. Feb. 17-19 MEAC Indoor Championships Landover, Md. Feb. 26-27 USA Indoor Championships Albuquerque, N.M.

OUTDOOR SEASON

March 19 Tribe Open Williamsburg, Va.March 25-26 Raleigh Relays Raleigh, N.C.April 1-2 Florida Relays Gainesville, Va.April 9 Donald Webster Memorial Invitational Baltimore, Md.April 14-16 Sea Ray Relays Knoxville, Tenn.April 23 Morgan State Legacy Meet Baltimore, Md.April 27-30 Penn Relays Philadelphia, Pa.May 5-7 MEAC Outdoor Championships Greensboro, N.C.May 26-28 NCAA East Regional Bloomington, Ind.June 8-11 NCAA Outdoor Championships Des Moines, Iowa

2010-11 SCHEDULE


RETURNER PROFILES NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE

Jonee’ Artis5-6 Senior

High Jump

Chesapeake, Va.

Deep Creek HS

2009-10: Indoor: Placed sixth at the MEAC Indoor meet with a height of 5-5…also cleared 5-5 to take fourth at the CNU Holiday Open. Outdoor: Tied for second at the MEAC Outdoor meet (5-4)…cleared a season-best height of 5-7 at the Colonial Relays…won the high jump at the Colonial Relays, and the 5-7 mark tied for the best in the MEAC during outdoor season.

2008-09: Indoor: Cleared an indoor-season best mark of 5-6 at the CNU Holiday Open and the CNU Captains Invitational…fi nished fourth at the conference indoor meet with a height of 5-5. Outdoor: NCAA East Regional qualifi er…fi nished ninth at the NCAA East Regional Championship after clearing 5-7…also had an outdoor mark of 5-7 at the Florida Relays…won the MEAC outdoor title with a jump of 5-5.

2007-08: Indoor: Sat out the indoor season. Outdoor: Posted a season-best 5-6 in the college section of the high jump at the Penn Relays…cleared 5-4.5 at the MEAC Outdoor Championship for a fourth-place fi nish…fi nished fi fth with a jump of 5-3.75 at the Morgan State Legacy meet.

2006-07: Indoor: Tied for fourth at the conference indoor meet as a freshman (5-4). Outdoor: Qualifi ed for the NCAA East Regional in the high jump after clearing 5-8.75 at the North Carolina Central Last Chance Meet…also turned in a top-fi ve fi nish at the MEAC Outdoor Championship, after clearing 5-6.

High School: Was named a high school All-American after placing second at the Nike Indoor Nationals in the high jump….won the 2006 Group AAA state outdoor title in the high jump, with a personal-best of 5-8.

Personal: Jonee’ Odessa Artis…born on Feb. 22, 1988…daughter of Huther and Abrunder Artis…majoring in business…plans to attend graduate school.

Personal Bests

Indoor

High Jump: 5-6 (Twice)Outdoor

High Jump: 5-8.75 (2007 NCCU Last Chance)

Shanneka Claiborne5-4 Senior

Sprints

Ettrick, Va.

Matoaca HS

2009-10: Indoor: MEAC champion in the 60 meters…ran a personal-best time of 7.45 seconds in the MEAC 60 fi nals…also placed fourth in the 200 at the conference indoor meet (25.03)…season-best 200-me-ter time was 24.84 at the Hokie Invitational. Outdoor: Ran a season-best time of 11.69 seconds in winning the 100 meters at the Colonial Relays…placed fourth at the MEAC Outdoor meet in the 100 meters (11.76).

2008-09: Indoor: Ran the fastest indoor time on the team in the 200 meters (24.79) at the Virginia Tech Invitational. Outdoor: Finished sixth in the 100 in 11.63 at the MEAC Outdoor Championship, qualifying for the NCAA East Regional…ran a time of 11.81 at the East Region-al…also ran a leg on the 4x100 relay team that came in second at the MEAC Outdoor Championship in 45.01 seconds, also qualifying for the East Regional.

2007-08: Sat out the season as a non-qualifi er.

High School: Earned Nike Indoor All-American honors in 2007 after winning the 200 meters in 24.65 and placing fourth in the 60 meters

(7.58)…became the fi rst athlete in the region’s history to win four con-secutive individual titles in the same event (55m)…set her personal record of 7.05 en route to the title in the 55 at the 2007 Group AAA Indoor State Championship…won the 2007 Group AAA Outdoor and Central Region outdoor 100m titles.

Personal: Shanneka Lachae Claiborne…born on Jan. 20, 1988…daughter of Gloria Claiborne and James Harrison…majoring in exer-cise science.

Personal Bests

Indoor

60 Meters: 7.45 (2010 MEAC ID)200 Meters: 24.79 (2009 Va. Tech)Outdoor

100 Meters: 11.62 (High School)200 Meters: 24.38 (High School)



Tierra Flowers5-6 Senior

Sprints

Coatesville, Pa.

Coatesville Area Senior HS

2009-10: Indoor: Finished fi fth at the MEAC Indoor Championship in the 60 meters (season-best 7.56)…placed second in the 60 and 200 with the times of 7.67 and 26.15, respectively, at the Maryland Invita-tional. Outdoor: Took second place in the 100 meters at the Morgan State Legacy meet (11.69 seconds), which tied teammate Shanneka Claiborne for the No. 4 time in the MEAC in that event during out-door season…came in fi fth in the 100 in 11.80 at the MEAC Outdoor Championship…helped the Spartans’ 4x100 team place third at the conference outdoor meet (45.76)…ran a personal-best 200 time of 24.67 at the Sea Ray Relays.

2008-09: Indoor: Ran the fastest time on the team in the 60 meters (7.56) to fi nish fourth at the MEAC Indoor Championship…had a time of 7.20 in the 55 at the CNU Holiday Open. Outdoor: Posted a time of 11.96 in the 100 at the North Carolina A&T Aggie Last Chance Meet…was on the 4x100 team that came in second at the MEAC Outdoor

Championship in 45.01 and qualifi ed for the NCAA East Regional.

2007-08: Indoor: Sat out the season. Outdoor: Ran on the 4x100 team that fi nished third and posted the Spartans’ best time of the season (46.27) at the MEAC Outdoor Championship…ran a 12.80 in the 100 at the Tony Waldrop Invitational.

2006-07: Indoor: Earned a top-fi ve fi nish at the University of Mary-land Indoor Invitational, placing fourth in the 60 meters in 7.78…ran a 7.84 in the 60 at the UNC Fast Times meet. Outdoor: Ran on the Spar-tans’ 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams…fi nished sixth in the 100 meters in 12.21 at the Colonial Relays.

High School: Advanced to the semifi nals of the young women’s 100 meters at the 2006 AAU Junior Olympics after posting a time of 12.12…won the PIAA District 1AAA 100-meter title as a senior in 2006 while setting her personal-record of 11.89…also qualifi ed for the 200 meter fi nals at the 2006 PIAA district meet in 25.53 (PR).

Personal: Tierra M. Flowers…born on March 21, 1988…daughter of Jarrett Jackson and Donna Flowers…majoring in kinesiotherapy.

Personal Bests

Indoor

60 Meters: 7.56 (2010 MEAC ID)Outdoor

100 Meter Dash: 11.69 (2010 Morgan State)200 Meter Dash 24.67 (2010 Sea Ray)

Syeeda Gee5-1 Junior

Middle Distance

Philadelphia, Va.

Engineering & Science HS

2009-10: Cross Country: Ran a time of 21:31.02 at the MEAC Champi-onship…helped NSU win the team title at the Great American Cross Country Festival HBCU Challenge by fi nishing 11th in 20:37. Indoor:

Helped the Spartans place fourth at the MEAC Indoor meet in the dis-tance medley relay (12.36.79). Outdoor: Ran the 800 and 1,500 meters during outdoor season.

2008-09: Cross Country: Ran a season-best 5K time of 19:47.47 at the UMES Cappy Anderson Invitational during the cross country season. Indoor: Was NSU’s second fi nisher in the 800 meters at the MEAC Indoor Championship, fi nishing the race in 2:30.75…fi nished 11th in the 3,000 (11:00.06) at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational. Outdoor:

Came in seventh in the 1,500 (5:23.67) and ninth in the 800 (2:36.12) at the Hampton Relays…ran a 5:16.91 in the 1,500 at the outdoor

championship.

High School: Set her personal best in the 5K in 19:40 as a senior in 2007…fi nished fourth in the 800 in 2:17.79 (PR) at the 2007 PTFCA Indoor State Championship…ran a personal-best 5:10.94 in the mile at the 2007 PIAA Outdoor State Championship.

Personal: Syeeda Yvette Gee…born on July 17, 1990…daughter of Jamila Cross and Chester Grahan…majoring in biology…wants to become a surgeon.

Personal Bests

Outdoor

1,500 Meters: 4:47 (High School)



Kaleena Gray5-9 Sophomore

Throws

Coatesville, Pa.

Coatesville HS

2009-10: Indoor: Placed fi fth at the MEAC Indoor Championship in the weight throw with a school-record toss of 48-10.75…came in eighth in the conference in the shot put (40-4.25)…season-best shot

put was 41-2.5 at CNU. Outdoor: Ranked sixth in the MEAC in the dis-cus after her throw of 133-7 at Wake Forest…placed sixth at the MEAC outdoor meet in the discus (129-11) and 11th in the shot put.

High School: Was a four-year member of the track and fi eld team…set personal-bests of 44-6.5 in the shot put and 144-10 in the discus during her prep career.

Personal: Kaleena Marie Gray…born on Feb. 17, 1989…daughter of Voncille Gray…majoring in kinesiotherapy.

Personal Bests

Outdoor

Discus: 144-10 (High School)Shot Put: 44-6.5 (High School)

Alaina Hite5-6 Junior

Hurdles/Jumps/Multi’s

Chesterfi eld, Va.

Manchester HS

2009-10: Indoor: Jumped a season-best 37-11.5 in the triple jump at Virginia Tech…came in fi fth in the triple jump at the MEAC Indoor Championship (37-6.75). Outdoor: Placed third in the triple jump at the MEAC with a personal-best eff ort of 39-1.25…also took a sixth-place fi nish in the heptathlon at the MEAC Outdoor meet, tallying 4,441 points…placed fourth in the triple jump at Morgan State (38-0)…took 14th place in the triple jump at the Raleigh Relays (38-4.25).

2008-09: Indoor: Finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.09 at the Father Diamond Invitational…hit a mark of 38-2.75 in the triple jump

at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational…ran a 9.88 in the 60 hurdles at the conferenc indoor championship. Outdoor: Jumped 37-9.25 in the triple jump at the Raleigh Relays…fi nished seventh in the triple jump at the MEAC outdoor meet with a jump of 38-4.75.

High School: A multi-event athlete who, as a freshman in 2004, won the Dominion District outdoor title in the 100-meter hurdles and fi nished second in the 300 hurdles…set her personal record in the 100 hurdles (14.74) at the 2007 MileStat.com Elite Track Gala….took second at the 2007 Dominion District Indoor Championship in the 55 in 7.66…recorded personal best marks of 5-2 in the high jump, 16-6 in the long jump, and 37-11.75 in the triple jump.

Personal: Alaina A. Hite…born on Dec. 29, 1988…daughter of Billy and LaAnja Hite…majoring in physical education.

Personal Bests

Indoor

Triple Jump: 38-2.75 (2009 Virginia Tech Invitational)Outdoor

100mH: 14.48 (2010 MEAC OD)Triple Jump: 39-1.25 (2010 MEAC OD)

Jamia Hutto5-7 Junior

Middle/Long Distance

Orlando, Fla.

Oak Ridge HS

2009-10: Cross Country: Earned All-MEAC honors by fi nishing 15th in 19:52.55 at the MEAC Championship. Indoor: Ran a leg on NSU’s 4x800 relay team which posted the fourth-fastest time in the MEAC (12:35.71)…also ran a leg on the Spartans’ distance medley relay team which came in fourth at the MEAC Indoor Championship (12:36.79). Outdoor: Ran her season and college-best 5,000-meter time of 19:45.44 at the Colonial Relays…ran a season and college-best in the 1,500m (5:04.50) at the Sea Ray Relays…placed seventh at the MEAC Outdoor Championship in the 5,000 and ninth in the steeplechase.

2008-09: Cross Country: Just missed All-MEAC honors at the MEAC Cross Country Championship when she fi nished 16th in 19:16. Indoor:

Ran on the distance medley team that posted a season-best time of 12:31.28 and fi nished third at the MEAC Indoor Championship…fi n-ished 13th in the mile (5.25.45) and 10th in the 3,000 (11:06.06) at the MEAC Indoor Championship. Outdoor: Ran 20:46.90 in the 5,000 and 5:17.49 in the 1,500 at the outdoor championship.

High School: Ran a personal-best time of 18:31.16 in the 5K…won the state title in the mile (4:56.96, PR) as a sophomore…had personal-bests of 57.34 in the 400, 2:14.07 in the 800 and 10:39.11 in the 3K.

Personal: Jamia Renae Hutto…born on Aug. 6, 1990…daughter of Cleo and Camille Hutto…majoring in graphic design.

Personal Records

Cross Country

5,000m: 18:31.16 (High School)Indoor

Mile: 4:56.96 (High School)Outdoor

1,500m: 4:52.40 (High School)3,000m SC: 13:06.35 (2010 MEAC OD)5,000m: 19:45.44 (2010 Colonial Relays)



Tanisha Jenkins5-6 Senior

Multi’s/Jumps

Louisa, Va.

Louisa County HS

2009-10: Indoor: Took fourth place in the pentathlon at the MEAC Indoor Championship, scoring 3,283 points…earned sixth place in the triple jump (37-6)…season-best triple jump was a mark of 37-7.25 at George Mason…cleared 5-3 to tie for fourth place in the high jump at George Mason. Outdoor: Recorded 4,601 points in fi nishing third in the heptathlon at the MEAC Outdoor Championship…leapt 37-7.5 in the triple jump to earn sixth place…also came in 12th in the javelin throw.

2008-09: Indoor: Jumped 37-6.75 in the triple jump at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational…ran an 8.66 in the preliminaries of 55-meter hurdles and an 8.70 in the fi nals at the CNU Holiday Open…had an in-door-season best time of 9.32 in the 60 hurdles…fi nished fourth in the pentathlon (3,384 points) and eighth in the triple jump (37-5.25) at the MEAC Indoor Championship. Outdoor: Hit a mark of 38-2 at the Penn Relays in the College section of the triple jump…tied for second in the triple jump (38-7.5) and tied for 12th in the long jump (17-4.25) at the Morgan State Legacy meet…fi nished third in the heptathlon (4,563

points) and 10th in the triple jump (37-3.25) at the MEAC Outdoor Championship.

2007-08: Indoor: Had the Spartans’ best mark in the triple jump (39-1.25)… ran a 9.11 in the 60-meter hurdles at the UNC Classic. Outdoor:

Also posted the Spartans’ best triple jump mark during the outdoor season (38-7.5), when she took second place at the Morgan State Legacy meet…fi nished fourth in the heptathlon with 4,473 points and fi fth in the high jump (5-2.5) at the MEAC Outdoor Championship.

High School: Won three titles at the 2007 Jeff erson District Meet, in-cluding the 100-meter hurdles (15.83), 300-meter hurdles (47.87), and the triple jump (37-5.25, PR)…also had three other top-four fi nishes at the district meet, fi nishing second in the long jump (17-9.25, PR), third in the high jump (5-0), and fourth in the shot put (33-8.5).

Personal: Tanisha Lanora Jenkins…born on November 21, 1989…daughter of Charlene Jenkins…majoring in political science with a minor in sociology…plans to go to law school. Personal Bests

Indoor

Triple Jump: 39-1.25 (2008 Penn State National)Pentathlon: 3,384 points (2009 MEAC ID)Outdoor

Triple Jump: 38-7.5 (2008 Morgan State)Heptathlon: 4,601 points (2010 MEAC OD)

Ashleigh Joseph5-4 Senior

Pole Vault

Chesapeake, Va.

Oscar Smith HS

2009-10: Indoor: Season-best height was a 9-0.25 at the Maryland Invitational…cleared 8-8.75 to tie for third place at the MEAC Indoor Championship with teammate Andrea Saunders. Outdoor: Came in fourth in the pole vault at the MEAC Outdoor Championship, clearing a height of 8-2.5.

2008-09: Indoor: Finished fourth in the pole vault at the MEAC Indoor Championship after clearing 8-2.75. Outdoor: Also fi nished fourth at the MEAC Outdoor Championship after clearing 8-8.75…cleared 8-11.75 to fi nish eighth at the Morgan State Legacy.

2007-08: Indoor: Cleared 9-1.75 in the pole vault at the Christopher Newport Captains Invitational…placed third at the Father Diamond

Invitational after clearing 8-8.25…suff ered a season-ending knee in-jury during the indoor season, causing her to miss the outdoor season.

High School: Claimed the 2006 Southeastern District outdoor title in the pole vault as a junior, setting a personal record of 10-6…repeated the feat at the Eastern Region Championship where she was the runner-up…also cleared 10-6 at the 2007 Regional Indoor Champion-ship and the 2007 Group AAA Indoor State Championship, fi nishing second and sixth, respectively…also competed in the 100 meters and the triple jump, posting personal bests of 13.05 in the 100 and 26-3 in the triple jump.

Personal: Ashleigh Lakia Joseph…born on Feb. 6, 1989…daughter of Llewelynn and Regina Joseph…majoring in biology...wants to become an obstetrician.

Personal Bests

Outdoor

Pole Vault: 10-6 (High School)



Wanetta Kirby5-11 Senior

Multi’s/Hurdles/Jumps

Richmond, Va.

Huguenot HS

2009-10: Indoor: Jumped a season-best 19-1.5 in the long jump at the Virginia Tech Invitational, placing fourth…took second place in the long jump at the George Mason Father Diamond Invitational…earned three top-fi ve fi nishes at the MEAC Indoor Championship, helping the Spartans capture the team title…leapt 18-1.75 to take fi fth in the long jump…placed third in the 60-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 8.58 seconds…won the MEAC title in the high jump with a personal-best height of 5-7, tying for the top mark in the conference during indoor season and matching her personal best. Outdoor: Completed the yearly sweep of the MEAC high jump title, clearing 5-6.25 at the MEAC Outdoor meet to win the gold…took another fi fth-place fi nish in the long jump at the outdoor meet, with a top mark of 19-1.25…placed fourth in the 100m hurdles, running 13.97 in the fi nals after a personal-best 13.80 in the prelims…also placed seventh in the 200 meters…outdoor season-best long jump was 19-3.5, which earned her sixth place at the Sea Ray Relays.

2008-09: Indoor: Third-place fi nisher in the long jump at the MEAC Indoor Championship (19-0)…the 19-0 was the top long jump of the season for any Spartans…ran on the indoor 4x400 team that posted a season-best time of 3:51.98 that fi nished fi fth at the MEAC Indoor Championship…ran a 9.00 in the preliminaries of the 60-meter hurdles at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational. Outdoor: Also fi nished third in the long jump at the MEAC Outdoor Championship with a PR of 19-

4…ran on the 4x100 team that came in second in 45.10 at the outdoor championship and qualifi ed for the NCAA East Regional…ran the anchor leg on the 4x400 team that fi nished third in 3:43.00 (season-best time) at the conference outdoor meet…competed in the Eastern section of the long jump and ran on the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 teams at the Penn Relays.

2007-08: Indoor: Ran on the 4x400 teams that had the best indoor (3:54.26) of the season. Outdoor: Ran a leg on the 4x100 relay team that ran a season-best time of 46.27 and fi nished third at the MEAC Championship…posted the best outdoor long-jump mark on the team (19-1.5), that coming at the Wake Forest Open…fi nished sixth in the heptathlon at the outdoor meet after scoring 4,089 points.

High School: Received the Elitest of the Elite award at the 2007 MileS-tat.Com Elite Track Gala after setting three personal records and taking fi rst in the long jump (19-3.75), 100 hurdles (14.44), and 200 (24.69)…. broke 57 seconds for the fi rst time in her career in the 400 fi nishing fi fth in 56.50 (PR) at the 2007 Group AAA Outdoor State Champion-ship…also set personal records of 31-5 in the triple jump, 5-7 in the high jump, 8.90 in the 60 hurdles, and 47.39 in the 300 hurdles during her prep career.

Personal: Wanetta I. Kirby…born on Oct. 13, 1989…daughter of Vir-ginia Smith and Wayne Kirby…majoring in physical education with a minor in graphic design…wants to coach track and fi eld and become an interior designer.

Personal Bests

Indoor

60m Hurdles: 8.58 (2010 MEAC ID)Long Jump: 19-1.5 (2010 Hokie Invitational)High Jump: 5-7 (2010 MEAC ID)Outdoor

100m Hurdles: 13.80 (2010 MEAC OD)Long Jump: 19-4 (2009 MEAC OD)High Jump: 5-6.25 (2010 MEAC OD)

Ashanti Matthews5-8 Junior

Jumps/Hurdles/Multi’s

Norfolk, Va.

Norview HS

2009-10: Indoor: Placed eighth at the MEAC Indoor meet in the 60-meter hurdles (8.78)…ran a season-best time of 8.68 in the prelims…fi nished 10th in the pentathlon (2,867 points)…earned seventh place in the long jump (17-9)…posted a season-best eff ort in the long jump at George Mason (18-4.75), where she fi nished third. Outdoor: Finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles at the Raleigh Relays in a season-best time of 14.07 seconds…earned three top-10 fi nishes at the MEAC Outdoor Championship…placed seventh in the 100m hurdles (14.52)…was eighth in the long jump (18-1)…placed ninth in the javelin (88-11.75).

2008-09: Indoor: Had an indoor season-best jump of 17-9 in the long jump Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational…fi nished eighth in the triple jump (35-1.75) at the CNU Captains Invitational…posted a 60-meter hurdles time of 9.24 at the Father Diamond Invitational. Outdoor: Fin-ished fourth in the heptathlon with 4,290 points at the MEAC Outdoor Championship.

High School: Won the VHSL Group AAA state title in the long jump (18-5) as a junior in 2005…won the 100-meter hurdles title in 15.24 (PR) at the 2004 Eastern District Outdoor Championship…set personal records of 7.38 in the 55 meters, 8.56 in the 55 hurdles, 14.84 in the 100 hurdles, 5-2 in the high jump and 38-9.25 in the triple jump.

Personal: Ashanti Deshawn Matthews…born on Dec. 26, 1987…daughter of Joseph and Theresa Bailey…majoring in sociology with a minor in criminal justice…wants to become an FBI agent.

Personal Bests

Indoor

60m Hurdles: 8.68 (2010 MEAC ID)Long Jump: 18-4.75 (2010 George Mason Father Diamond)Outdoor

100m Hurdles: 14.07 (2010 Raleigh Relays)Long Jump: 18-5 (High School)



She’Anna Mitchell5-8 Senior

High Jump

Newport News, Va.

Heritage HS

2009-10: Indoor: Indoor season-best in the high jump was a mark of 5-5 at George Mason…was second in the high jump at the Maryland Invitational (5-4.25)…matched her season-best mark at the MEAC Indoor Championship, where she fi nished second. Outdoor: Took second place in the high jump at the Colonial Relays with a best eff ort of 5-7…jumped 5-6 to tie for ninth in the college section of the Penn Relays…tied with teammate Jonee Artis for second at the MEAC Out-door Championship (5-4.25).

2008-09: Indoor: Finished fourth in the high jump at the MEAC Indoor Championship after clearing 5-5…jumped 5-6 at the UNC Classic, CNU Holiday Open and CNU Captains Invitational during the indoor season. Outdoor: Tied for eighth at the conference outdoor meet with a jump of 5-3…cleared 5-5 at the Florida Relays and 5-4.5 in the college sec-tion of the high jump at the Penn Relays.

2007-08: Indoor: Had the Spartans’ best high jump of the indoor sea-son (5-4.5) at the Virginia Tech Invitational…tied for sixth place in the high jump at the MEAC Indoor Championship after clearing 5-2.5. Out-

door: Won the high jump title at the MEAC Outdoor Championship with a jump of 5-7.75, qualifying for the NCAA East Regional…was the Spartans’ top fi nisher in the high jump at each meet she competed in during the outdoor season.

High School: Finished second in the high jump at the 2007 Eastern Region Outdoor Championships with a jump of 5-8, a personal best and a state meet-qualifying mark…placed fi fth with a best jump of

5-6 at the VHSL State Group AAA meet…also garnered a second place fi nish in the long jump at the Eastern Region meet, jumping a distance of 17-8…set her personal record in the long jump (17-9) as a junior in 2006 at the Peninsula District Outdoor Championship…also competed in the 100, 200, 400 and 500 for Heritage.

Personal: She’Anna La’tricia Mitchell…born on Dec. 14, 1988…daugh-ter of Rick and Patricia Mitchell…majoring in optical engineering.

Personal Bests

Indoor

High Jump: 5-6 (several times)Outdoor

High Jump: 5-8 (High School)

Teressa Nance5-6 Sophomore

Sprints

Temple Hills, Md.

Forestville Military Academy

2009-10: Indoor: Did not compete in any meets during indoor season. Outdoor: Placed sixth in the 400 meters at the Colonial Relays (1:02.32).

High School: Placed sixth at the Prince George’s County meet and seventh at the Maryland State IA Outdoor Championship as a se-nior…helped the 4x200 relay team to a third-place fi nish at the state outdoor meet.

Personal: Teressa L. Nance was born on Oct. 3, 1990…daughter of James and Bernice Nance…academic major is chemistry/food science nutrition.

Personal Bests

Indoor

300 Meters: 46.44 (High School)Outdoor

400 Meters: 1:01.07 (High School)



Elaine Rhoades5-6 Senior

Hurdles/Jumps/Multi’s

Norfolk, Va.

Bowie State University

Booker T. Washington HS

2009-10: Indoor: Named the MEAC Indoor Most Outstanding Female Field Performer after tallying 17 points for NSU en route to the team title…at the conference meet, placed second in both the triple jump (39-6) and pentathlon (3,394 points) and took eighth in the long jump (17-5.75)…took seventh place in the triple jump at the Virginia Tech Invitational in a season-best eff ort of 39-8…that was the second-lon-gest triple jump in the MEAC during indoor season. Outdoor: MEAC Outdoor runner-up in the heptathlon (4,620 points)…placed ninth in the 400-meter hurdles and 11th in the triple jump…also ran a leg on the Spartans’ eighth-place 4x400 relay team, which ran a season-best of 3:53.40 at the conference outdoor meet…ran a season-best 400m hurdle time at Wake Forest (1:02.22), good for sixth place.

At Bowie State: Finished sixth in the triple jump (40-1.25) at the 2009

NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championship to earn All-American honors…earned the Most Valuable Performer award in the women’s fi eld events at the 2009 CIAA Outdoor Championship…won the long (18-3.25) and triple (40-9.75) jumps and was second in the high jump (5-4) at the 2009 conference outdoor meet…was 2008 CIAA Outdoor high jump champion (5-4.25).

High School: Posted season-best times of 43.82 in the 300-meter hurdles, 1:03.14 in the 400 hurdles and jumped 38-10 as a senior at Booker T. Washington…set the school records in the 60 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 hurdles and the pole vault.

Personal: Elaine Teresa Rhoades…born on May 31, 1989…daughter of Eileen Rhoades…majoring in sociology with a minor in criminal justice.

Personal Bests

Indoor

Triple Jump: 39-8 (2010 MEAC ID)Long Jump: 18-2.5 (2009 CIAA ID)Pentathlon: 3,394 points (2010 MEAC ID)Outdoor

Triple Jump: 40-9.75 (2009 CIAA OD)Long Jump: 18-3.25 (2009 CIAA OD)Heptathlon: 4,620 points (2010 MEAC OD)

Kellen Rutto5-6 Sophomore

Middle/Long Distance

Eldoret, Kenya

Moi Siongiroi Girls HS

2009-10: Cross Country: Finished sixth at the MEAC Cross Country Championship in 19:00.57 to help the Spartans to their fi rst-ever conference title…earned All-MEAC honors at the cross country championship…paced the Spartans at the NCAA Southeast Regional by fi nishing the 6K course in 22:44.56. Indoor: Finished third in the 3,000 meters at the MEAC Indoor Championship in a season-best time of 10:39.46. Outdoor: Ran a season-best 5,000-meter time of 18:28.89 at Wake Forest…placed third in the 3,000m steeplechase at the MEAC Outdoor Championship (11:34.54)…was fourth in the 5,000 meters (18:55.55).

High School: Posted career-best times of 22:41 in the 6K and 4:47 in the 1,500.

Personal: Kellen Cherotich Rutto…born on Dec. 29, 1987…daugh-ter of Alexander and Elizabeth Rutto…majoring nursing…wants to become a nurse.

Personal Bests

Cross Country

5,000 Meters: 18:31.50 (2010 MEAC XC Champ.)Indoor

Mile: 5:26.63 (2010 Va. Tech Invitational)3,000 Meters: 10:39.46 (2010 MEAC ID)Outdoor

1,500 Meters: 4:47 (High School)3,000m Steeplechase: 11:34.54 (2010 MEAC OD)5,000 Meters: 18:28.89 (2010 Wake Forest Open)



Dania Sanford5-2 Senior

Sprints

Warrenton, Va.

Fauquier HS

2009-10: Indoor: MEAC Indoor Championship runner-up in the 400 meters (56.51, PR)…posted her fastest 200-meter time of the season at Virginia Tech, clocking a 24.90 for the seventh-fastest time in the conference during indoor season…placed sixth at the conference meet in the 200 (25.26). Outdoor: Ran a season-best 24.59 in the 200 at Wake Forest…clocked a season-best 56.52 in the 400 at the Sea Ray Relays…ran a leg on NSU’s fi rst-place 4x100 relay team at Wake Forest, which registered the school’s fastest time of the season (45.67)…also ran a leg on the third-place 4x100 team at the MEAC Outdoor Cham-pionship (45.96)…also participated on NSU’s 4x400 relay team that came in eighth at the conference meet.

2008-09: Indoor: Had the Spartans’ fastest indoor time in the 400 (58.15)…ran on the indoor 4x400 team that posted a season-best time of 3:51.98 to fi nish fi fth at the MEAC Indoor Championship… fi nished 12th in the 200 (25.50) at the conference indoor meet. Outdoor: Tallied NSU’s season-best times in the 200 (23.99, PR) and 400 (56.62)…ran a leg on the 4x400 relay team that fi nished third in 3:43.00 (season-best time) at the MEAC Outdoor Championship…ran

a 24.41 in the 200 to place seventh at the conference meet in the 200 after running her PR of 23.99 in the prelims.

2007-08: Indoor: Had a very productive freshman season, as she recorded the Spartans’ top times in four events…during the indoor season, she posted times of 7.66 in the 60, 25.25 in the 200, and 57.22 in the 400, all of which were top performances for NSU. Outdoor: Led the team in the 100 (11.84), 200 (24.33), and 400 (57.75) during the outdoor season…ran on the 4x400 teams that posted the best indoor (3:54.26) and outdoor (3:52.50) times of the season…was also on the 4x100 outdoor team that ran a season-best 46.27 and fi nished third at the MEAC Championship.

High School: Posted the 12th-fastest time in the country in Feb. 2007 when she won the 300 meters in 39.52 (PR) at the Virginia Tech Invita-tional…as a junior in 2006, she fi nished second in both the 100 (12.19) and the 400 (55.19) at the Northwest Region Outdoor Champion-ship, besting the meet record of 55.52…took second place in the 400 (55.77) and fi fth in the 100 (12.40) at the 2006 Group AAA Outdoor State Championship.

Personal: Dania Chanese Sanford…born on July 18, 1989…daughter of Karen Moore and Thomas Sanford…majoring in physical educa-tion…wants to be a physical education teacher.

Personal Bests

Indoor

200 Meters: 24.90 (2010 Va. Tech Invitational)400 Meters: 56.51 (2010 MEAC ID)Outdoor

200 Meters: 23:99 (2009 MEAC OD)400 Meters: 55:19 (High School)

Andrea Saunders5-6 Junior

Pole Vault

Chesapeake, Va.

Oscar Smith HS

2009-10: Indoor: Posted the fourth-highest mark in the MEAC in the pole vault, clearing 8-8.75…tied for third place with teammate Ash-leigh Joseph at the MEAC meet…the 8-8.75 was also a season-high for Saunders. Outdoor: Cleared 8-8.25 to earn third place at the MEAC Outdoor Championship.

2008-09: Indoor: Finished third the MEAC Indoor Championship after

clearing 8-8.75…cleared 8-9 at the Father Diamond Invitational to fi nish fourth. Outdoor: Again placed third at the conference champi-onship during outdoor season, clearing 8-8.75…won the title at the Morgan State Legacy after clearing 8-5.

High School: Cleared 9 feet (PR) to fi nish ninth at the 2006 Eastern Region Outdoor Championship…also posted a mark of 9-0 at the 2006 Southeastern District Outdoor Championship, fi nishing second behind teammate and fellow NSU teammate, Ashleigh Joseph.

Personal: Andrea Latrice Saunders…born on Jan. 27, 1989…daughter of John and Vivian Saunders…majoring in biology…wants to become an obstetrician.

Personal Bests

Indoor

Pole Vault: 8-9 (2009 George Mason Father Diamond)Outdoor

Pole Vault: 9-0 (High School)



Alicea Teamer4-11 Sophomore

Sprints

Waldorf, Md.

McDonough HS

2009-10: Indoor: Ran a season-best 60-meter time of 8.28 seconds at the Maryland Invitational. Outdoor: Clocked a season-best 100-meter time of 12.99 seconds at Wake Forest.

High School: Was a two-sport athlete at McDonough, participating on the basketball and track and fi eld teams…earned second-team all-county honors in basketball and track her freshman and sophomore

years…was fi rst-team all-county in track and second-team all-county in basketball as a junior…posted times of 7.61 in the 55 meters and 46.37 in the 300 at the 2008 SMAC Indoor Track Championships…was named to the SMAC All-Academic second team as a senior.

Personal: Alicea S. Teamer…born on Feb. 14, 1991…majoring in exercise science…wants to become an athletic trainer or physical therapist.

Personal Bests

Indoor

60 Meters: 8.28 (2010 Maryland Invitational)Outdoor

100 Meters: 12.99 (2010 Wake Forest Open)

Katie Wright5-6 Junior

Pole Vault

Virginia Beach, Va.

Princess Anne HS

2009-10: Indoor: Wright had the highest mark in the conference dur-ing the indoor season when she cleared 10-2.5 to win the MEAC title for the second year in a row…cleared 9-6.25 to take fi rst place at the Maryland Invitational. Outdoor: Cleared 9-8.25 to take second place at the MEAC Outdoor meet…season best was a 10-0 mark at Wake For-est, where she fi nished fourth.

2008-09: Indoor: Claimed the MEAC Indoor title in the pole vault…set a new MEAC Indoor Championship record when she cleared 11-0.25…hit a mark of 10-10.25 at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational, good for third place…cleared 10-8 at the UNC Classic to take second place…posted a top mark of 10-6 at the CNU Holiday Open, good for sixth place. Outdoor: Vaulted 10-8.25 for the outdoor title, qualifying for the NCAA East Regional…fi nished second at the Morgan State Legacy meet after clearing a season-best 10-11.75.

High School: As a senior in 2007, Wright won the pole vault titles at the indoor and outdoor Eastern Region meets after clearing 10-6…won the 2007 Beach District indoor title after clearing 10-0….was also a member of the basketball, volleyball, and softball teams at Princess Anne.

Personal: Katie Marie Wright…born on November 13, 1987…daugh-ter of Tami Burandt and Timothy Wright…majoring in business.

Personal Bests

Indoor

Pole Vault: 11-0.25 (2009 MEAC ID)Outdoor

Pole Vault: 10-11.75 (2009 Morgan State)

NEWCOMER PROFILES NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE


Naomi Hargrove5-6 Freshman

Sprints

Warfi eld, Va.

Brunswick County HS

High School: Was the VHSL Outdoor State Group AA runner-up in the 100 meters her freshman and senior seasons…also earned all-state accolades after placing sixth in the long jump, seventh in the 200, and

running a leg on Brunswick’s eighth-place 4x100 relay team…was district 100 and 200 champion as a senior…also earned All-Region I honors in the 100 and long jump…earned all-state honors in the 4x100 as a sophomore and junior, and in the 100 meters her junior season…high school bests were 12.41 in the 100, 25.37 in the 200, and 17-6 in the long jump.

Personal: Naomi Beatrice Hargrove was born on Aug. 5, 1991…daughter of Ivan and Donna Hargrove…majoring in sociology.

Personal Records

Outdoor


Champagne Bell5-6 Sophomore

Sprints/Jumps

Norfolk, Va.

Booker T. Washington HS

2009-10: Sat out the 2009-10 season as a non-qualifi er.

High School: Four-year letterwinner…named team MVP her fresh-

man, junior and senior seasons…a Nike Indoor All-American as part of Booker T. Washington’s 4x400, 4x200 and sprint medley relays during her senior season…was state runner-up in the outdoor 400 meters (55.65)…her PR in the 400 was 55.47…also placed fi fth at the VHSL Group AAA state outdoor meet in the long jump with a PR of 19 feet...was runner-up in the long jump at the 2009 AAU Junior Olympics.

Personal: Champagne Tsai Bell was born on Jan. 3, 1991…daughter of Wanda Bell…majoring in sociology.

Personal Records

Outdoor

400 Meters: 55.47 (High School)Long Jump: 19-0 (High School)

Rayiana Johnson5-7 Freshman

Sprints

Chester, Pa.

Chester HS

High School: Four-year letterwinner in track and cross country…All-Delco selection all four years…indoor state champion in the 200 me-ters as a senior…was the Delco 100 and 200 champion during outdoor season…ran a meet record and personal-best time of 11.69 in the 100 meters at the Delco championship…also won the District I-AAA title

in the 200…as a junior, Johnson won state indoor titles in the 60 and 200, and outdoor titles in the 100 and 200…ran a meet-record and PR of 24.04 in the 200 meters at the state indoor championship…ran a PR of 7.45 seconds in the 60 meters, which was the fourth-fastest high school time in the nation in 2009.

Personal: Rayiana Alayiha Johnson was born on Oct. 6, 1991…daugh-ter of Reginald and Crystal Johnson…plans to major in physical therapy.

Personal Records

Indoor

60 Meters: 7.45 (High School)Outdoor


NEWCOMER PROFILES NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE


Tyler Savage5-7 Freshman

Middle Distance

New Kent, Va.

New Kent HS

High School: Lettered three years in track and two in basketball…state meet qualifi er in the 4x100, 4x800 and 800 meters…member of the 4x800 relay team which set a school record of 10:00…fi nished eighth at the state outdoor meet in the 800 as a senior…helped the 4x100 and 4x800 relay teams place eighth in the state during her junior season…state qualifi er in the 4x400 as a sophomore.

Personal: Tyler Leigh Savage was born on Nov. 19, 1991…daughter of Leroy Savage III and Sybil Savage…plans to major in psychology.

Personal Bests

Outdoor

800 Meters: 2:22.19 (High School)

Ashley Sessoms5-6 Freshman

Sprints

Hampton, Va.

Hampton HS

High School: Lettered four years in track and two in cross country…fi nished second in the Peninsula District in the 400 meters (outdoor) and 500 meters (indoor) during her senior year…placed eighth in

the 500 at the state meet…fi rst-team Daily Press All-Star as well as an all-state performer in the 500…placed second in the 400 meters at the district outdoor meet her junior year…ran a leg on the school record-setting 4x800 meter relay team as a sophomore.

Personal: Ashley Desiree Sessoms was born on Dec. 27, 1992…daughter of Eric and Vicki Sessoms…major in fashion merchandising.

Personal Records

Indoor

300 Meters: 40.81 (High School)500 Meters: 1:17.32 (High School)Personal


For the latest in Norfolk State University athletics, including news, schedules, statistics,

player biographies, video features and more, visit www.nsuspartans.com.



2010 NSU WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

INDOOR PERFORMANCE LIST

Event Athlete Date/Event Time/Mark60m Shanneka Claiborne 2-12/MEAC Championship 7.45200m Shanneka Claiborne 1-22/Hokie Invitational 24.84400m Dania Sanford 2-12/MEAC Championship 56.51800m Jennifer Chichester 2-11/MEAC Championship 2:14.73Mile Jennifer Chichester 1-29/Penn State National 5:00.643,000m Jennifer Chichester 1-16/Terrapin Invitational 10:32.3560mH Wanetta Kirby 2-12/MEAC Championship 8.58

4x400 Kirby/Pickett 1-22/Hokie National 3:52.46Relay Rhoades/Sanford

Distance Rutto/Gee 1-30/Penn State National 12:25.56Medley Hutto/Chichester LJ Wanetta Kirby 1-22/Hokie Invitational 19-1.5HJ Wanetta Kirby 2-12/MEAC Championship 5-7TJ Elaine Rhoades 1-22/Hokie Invitational 39-8SP Kaleena Gray 12-5/CNU Holiday Open 41-2.5PV Katie Wright 2-12/MEAC Championship 10-2.5WT Kaleena Gray 2-11/MEAC Championship 48-10.5Pentath. Elaine Rhoades 2-12/MEAC Championship 3,394 pts.

2010 MEAC Indoor Track & Field ChampionshipFeb. 11-13, 2010Landover, Md.

Final Team Results1) Norfolk State 1592) Hampton 122.53) Maryland Eastern Shore 1024) South Carolina State 655) North Carolina A&T 576) Howard 41.257) Delaware State 25.58) Morgan State 229) Bethune-Cookman 1810) Coppin State 9.511) Florida A&M 0.25

NSU’s 2010 MEAC Indoor ChampionsShanneka Claiborne – 60 MetersWanetta Kirby – High JumpKatie Wright – Pole Vault

Note: Distances are listed in feet and inches.

2010 NSU WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE LIST

Event Athlete Date/Event Time/Mark100m Shanneka Claiborne 4-3/Colonial Relays 11.69200m Wanetta Kirby 4-10/Sea Ray Relays 24.46400m Dania Sanford 4-10/Sea Ray Relays 56.62800m Syeeda Gee 3-20/Wake Forest Open 2:29.871,500m Jennifer Chichester 4-3/Colonial Relays 4:42.353kSC Jennifer Chichester 5-8/MEAC Championship 11:32.825,000m Jennifer Chichester 4-10/Sea Ray Relays 18:04.52110mH Wanetta Kirby 4-17/Friend. & Free. Gms. 13.91400mH Elaine Rhoades 3-20/Wake Forest Open 1:02.22

4x100 Flowers/Kirby 3-20/Wake Forest Open 45.67Relay Sanford/Claiborne

4x400 Kirby/Pickett 5-8/MEAC Championship 3:53.40Relay Rhoades/Sanford

LJ Wanetta Kirby 4-10/Sea Ray Relays 19-3.5HJ Artis/Mitchell 4-3/Colonial Relays 5-7TJ Alaina Hite 5-8/MEAC Championship 38-4.25SP Kaleena Gray 3-20/Wake Forest Open 38-10.5PV Katie Wright 3-20/Wake Forest Open 10-0Javelin Tiphani Harris 5-8/MEAC Championship 97-2Discus Kaleena Gray 3-20/Wake Forest Open 133-7Heptath. Elaine Rhoades 5-8/MEAC Championship 4,620 pts.

2010 MEAC Outdoor Track & Field ChampionshipMay 6-8, 2010Greensboro, N.C.

Final Team Results1) Hampton 168.52) Norfolk State 149.6663) South Carolina State 1084) North Carolina A&T 875) Maryland Eastern Shore 616) Morgan State 367) Howard 338) Coppin State 289) Bethune-Cookman 2710) Florida A&M 25.333311) Delaware State 16.5

NSU’s 2010 MEAC Outdoor ChampionsWanetta Kirby – High JumpCandace Shoates – Pole Vault

Note: Distances are listed in feet and inches.

2009-10 IN REVIEW


The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 41st year of operation in the 2010-11 academic school year. The MEAC is made up of 13 outstanding historical-ly black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Nor-folk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central Univer-sity, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.

HISTORY In 1969, a bold ad hoc group of innovators long associated with intercollegiate ath-letics met in Durham, N.C., to discuss the feasibility of organizing a new conference. Dis-sected from these discussions, a steering and planning committee was formed to fully investigate the idea, present a detailed report with recommendations to interested col-legiate institutions, and then construct a workshop to outline proposals. After adopting a program, seven institutions (Delaware State College, Howard Uni-versity, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State College) agreed to become the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Its major objective was to estab-lish, organize and supervise an intercollegiate athletic program among a compact group of educational institutions of high academic standards and with a sound philosophy of co-curricular activities. The conference agreed to seek Division I status for its sports. The conference was confi rmed in 1970, kicking off its fi rst season of competition in football in 1971. In 1978, a milestone was reached when the MEAC selected Kenneth A. Free to be its fi rst full-time commissioner. Free served the conference for 18 years before stepping down in May of 1996. In July of 1996, Charles S. Harris was named commissioner and served in the capacity until April 2002. On September 1, 2002, Dr. Dennis E. Thomas was named the commissioner and has served in the position for nine years. The conference’s fi rst expansion occurred in October 1979 when Bethune-Cookman College and Florida A&M University were voted into the MEAC as new members. Original members Morgan State, North Carolina Central and Maryland Eastern Shore withdrew from the conference at the end of the 1979-80 fi scal year. Maryland Eastern Shore was readmitted in 1981 and Morgan State returned in 1984. Florida A&M opted to resign in 1984 but rejoined the conference in 1986. Coppin State College was granted admittance in 1985, becoming the ninth member institution. The MEAC expanded again in the 1990’s with the inclusion of Hampton University (1995) and Norfolk State University (1997). The conference expanded in 2007 adding Winston-Salem State University. Following the 2009-10 academic/athletic season Win-ston-Salem State withdrew from the conference and returned to Division II. On July 1, 2010 the MEAC made its fi nal expansion with the admittance of North Carolina Central and Savannah State University. On June 8, 1980, the MEAC was classifi ed as a Division I conference by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Prior to that year the conference operated as a Division II conference. The following month the MEAC received an automatic qualifi ca-tion to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Currently, the conference has automatic qualifying bids for NCAA postseason play in baseball (since 1994), men’s basketball (since 1981), women’s basketball (since 1982), football (since 1996), softball (since 1995), men and women’s tennis (since 1998), and volleyball (since 1994). The MEAC initiated cross country in 1980 and North Carolina A&T earned the inaugu-ral men’s crown. The fi rst women’s cross country championship took place a year later with Howard winning the fi rst of its seven titles. Indoor Track and Field was also added in 1981 with South Carolina State capturing the men’s title and Howard winning the women’s crown. Tennis and golf returned as MEAC governed sports in 1981, after a fi ve-year hiatus. South Carolina State won all seven of the conference’s golf championships from 1972-1983 before the sport was discontinued after the 1983 championship. Morgan State dominated the conference in wrestling winning 13 of 24 conference championships during the sports tenure (1972-1995). Baseball, which began in 1972, was discontinued following the 1977 season. It was brought back as a MEAC governed sport along with women’s volleyball in 1983. Wom-en’s softball became a MEAC sanctioned sport in 1992. Bowling was offi cially sanctioned as a MEAC sport in 1999. Before that season, the MEAC was the fi rst conference to secure NCAA sanctioning for women’s bowling by adopting the club sport prior to the 1996-97 school year.

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS The MEAC has enjoyed tremendous athletic success over the years. In 2008, Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) defeated Arkansas State 4-2 to win the NCAA Women’s Bowling National Championship, a fi rst for the conference and institution. With the victory, Lady Hawks’ head coach Sharon Brummell became the fi rst female head coach to win a NCAA bowling title. In men’s basketball, UMES became the fi rst historical black college/university to par-ticipate in the 1974 National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The Hawks defeated Man-hattan, 84-81, in the fi rst round before falling to Jacksonville by two points in the second round. Before the Jacksonville loss UMES had the best record in the nation at 27-1.

That same year, Morgan State won the NCAA College Division II National Champion-ship and junior Marvin “The Human Eraser” Webster was named the Division II Player of the Year. The 1981 tournament champion Howard Bison became the fi rst MEAC team to play in the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. Coppin State and Hampton made history in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament with fi rst-round victories. The No. 15 seeded Coppin State defeated No. 2 South Carolina in 1997 and No. 15 seeded Hampton defeated No. 2 Iowa State in 2001. Both victories ranked among the Top 10 greatest tournament upsets of all-time by ES-PN’s SportsCenter. In women’s basketball, South Carolina State won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Division II National Championship in 1979. In 1982, Howard became the fi rst MEAC women’s team to participate in the NCAA Di-vision I Women’s Basketball Championship. South Carolina State earned the conference’s bid in 1983 and became the fi rst MEAC team, men or women, to win an opening-round game in the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. The No. 14 North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies faced No.3 Florida State in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. The 14th seed was the highest seed earned by a MEAC women’s basketball program since the inception of the 64-team bracket in 1994. The Lady Aggies defeated Wake Forest and Charlotte before falling to Miami in the third round of the 2010 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). North Carolina A&T became the fi rst MEAC team and historical black college/university to win two con-secutive basketball games in a national postseason tournament. In football, the MEAC was instrumental in constructing the Freedom Bowl All-Star Classic, the Heritage Bowl, and the Gold Bowl. Prior to Division I competition, the MEAC competed in the Gold Bowl held in Rich-mond, Va., which matched the MEAC champion against the champion of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). South Carolina State represented the MEAC in 1976 and 1979, winning both outings over Winston-Salem State and Norfolk State respectively. In addition to the 1976 and 1979 crowns, South Carolina State won MEAC football titles in 1974-78, 1980-83, 1994, 2004, 2008 and 2009. During the 1981 and 1982 seasons they reached the second round of the I-AA championships. In outdoor track and fi eld, North Carolina Central won the fi rst three MEAC outdoor titles and fi nished fourth in the 1974 NCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship. NCCU’s Larry Black was a member of the 1972 Olympic 400-meter relay team that won the gold medal. He won the silver medal in the 200-meter dash. MEAC women began outdoor track and fi eld conference competition in 1980. In 1982, South Carolina State won the AIAW Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championship. The MEAC has showcased over 27 athletes in the Olympics and 11 have earned med-als during the Summer Games. In 2003, Florida A&M became the fi rst MEAC school to win a volleyball match in the NCAA Championship, with a fi rst-round win over Winthrop. In 2004, the Lady Rattlers be-came the fi rst historically black college/university to rank in the Top 25 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll. South Carolina State’s women’s tennis team earned the conference’s fi rst Intercolle-giate Tennis Association (ITA) ranking in a 2005 fi nal poll reaching a No. 72 ranking. In softball, Bethune-Cookman earned the conference’s fi rst-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Softball Championship in 2005. The Lady Wildcats defeated Florida, Central Flor-ida and South Florida in the Florida Regional to become the fi rst MEAC school to win a NCAA Division I Softball Regional. Bethune-Cookman ended the 2005 season with the conferences’ fi rst-ever rankings in the fi nal softball polls, reaching No. 18 in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches poll and No. 23 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com Poll. Florida A&M was the fi rst MEAC baseball team to advance to NCAA postseason play in 1994. The Rattlers took on Southeastern Louisiana in a best of three play-in series, fall-ing after two games, 11-10 and 8-7. During the 2002 campaign, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats advanced to the Gainesville Regional and became the fi rst MEAC team to win in the NCAA Tournament with a 7-4 victory over Florida International. The Wildcats had previously lost to Florida in their fi rst game 13-1 and were eliminated from the regional with a 21-10 loss in their second matchup against the Gators.

ABOUT THE MEACNORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY 2010-2011WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEDIA GUIDE

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2011 NSU Women's Track Media Guide

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