Final Results
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Norfolk State men's track team racked up 162 points to cruise to its third consecutive MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship and its record sixth straight conference title overall on Saturday afternoon at Morgan State's Hughes Stadium.
NSU became the first MEAC men's track program to sweep the conference indoor and outdoor titles in three straight years. North Carolina A&T finished a distant second with 95 points.
Sophomore Marlon Woods (Norfolk, Va.) was named the MEAC Men's Most Outstanding Performer after compiling a meet-high 28 points. In addition to his Friday victories in the long and high jumps, Woods placed a close second to North Carolina A&T's Ron Buchanan on Saturday in the triple jump. Woods jumped a personal-best 50 feet, 9.25 inches, behind only Buchanan's 50-11.
“We had a few little mishaps here and there this weekend,” said NSU head coach Kenneth Giles, who earned his 13th MEAC Most Outstanding Coach award. “Our 4x100 team dropped the baton and we had some injuries that forced us to adjust as a team. But the fact that we were still able to win the meet going away says a lot about our depth and the hard work our athletes have put in.”
NSU capped the meet with a first-place finish in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Tyrell Moon (Philadelphia, Pa.), Troy Wilkerson (Norfolk, Va.), Raymond Brown (Richmond, Va.) and Carlton Phipps (Lynchburg, Va.) ran a season-best time of 3:09.84 to edge Coppin State (3:09.95) at the finish line and qualify for the NCAA East Regional.
NSU's other victory on Saturday came via Keenan Harris (Norfolk, Va.), who ran a time of 3:59.29 to take the gold medal in the 1,500 meters.
Other top performers Saturday included Wilkerson, who ran a personal-best time and regional-qualifying time of 46.92 to place third in the 400; Jonathan Soimo (Kapsabet, Kenya) and Hillary Cheruiyot (Eldoret, Kenya) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase; Brett Dodd (San Antonio, Texas) placed second in the pole vault; Marlon Powells (Hyattsville, Md.) finished fourth in the shot put; and Meredith Whitties (Petersburg, Va.) took fourth in the javelin.
“I'm very proud of our accomplishments to this point, but we're not done yet,” Giles said. “We have a strong contingent going to regionals. We want to make a good showing there and make a statement at the national meet in June.”
