BALTIMORE, Md. — The Norfolk State women's track team is currently in second place with 33 points through five scored events in the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Hughes Stadium. The Spartans are a close second behind the Lady Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore who have 43 points.

NSU scored 14 points in the heptathlon with a third-place finish from Victoria Faulkner (Newport News, Va.), a fourth-place finish from Tanisha Jenkins (Louisa, Va.) and a sixth-place finish from Wanetta Kirby (Richmond, Va.). The trio tallied 4,494, 4,473, and 4,089 points, respectively.

Candace Shoates (Newport News, Va.) and Sasha Wilson (West Columbia, S.C.) combined to bring in another 14 points in the field events. Shoates won the pole vault and qualified for the NCAA East Regional after clearing 9 feet, ¼ inches (almost one foot and four inches higher than the second place finisher) and Wilson placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 43-4 ½.

The 4x100 meter relay team of Janet Brown (Chesapeake, Va.), Portia Davenport (Dale City, Va.), Tierra Flowers (Coatesville, Pa.), and Cheri Hodges (Raleigh, N.C.) qualified for Saturday's finals by running a 47.29.

Jennifer Chichester (Silver Spring, Md.) also qualified for the 800 meter run (2:14.43) and the 1500 meters (4:46.03). Chichester pulled off a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 meters after missing the original race because it started early and then having to run it by herself in the last race of the day.

The events resume on Saturday at 10 a.m. beginning with the men's and women's triple jump.