NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State University won its seventh straight Talmadge Layman Hill Award, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's all-sports trophy, the league announced Thursday.

The Spartans tallied 65 points to win their eighth Talmadge Layman Hill Award overall. Bethune-Cookman was second with 54.3 points. The Spartans first won the award in 2001. The streak of seven straight men's all-sports awards is the second-longest in MEAC history, trailing only South Carolina State's 11 in a row from 1974-84.

Hampton (76 points) won its 10th straight Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All-Sports Award, with NSU (70 points) finishing second.

Each winning school also receives $20,000. Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 12 points for championships or first-place finishes. Second-place teams get 10 points, third-place teams nine, and so on. Tied teams split the total points.

“Winning the Talmadge Hill Award for the seventh consecutive year is a tribute to the athletics program at Norfolk State University,” NSU Athletics Director Marty L. Miller said. “This accomplishment is a result of the hard work and commitment to excellence of both the student-athletes and the staff. I am extremely happy to be a part of the Spartan family and the accomplishments we have achieved during my tenure at NSU.”

Highlighting the year for the Spartan men were three more running titles, one each in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. NSU, coached by Kenneth Giles, has now swept the three running titles in three straight years, and has achieved the conference indoor-outdoor track sweep in six straight years.

The women's teams were led by the bowling team's MEAC Southern Division regular-season title and the women's track team capturing the MEAC outdoor title in May, as well as runner-up finishes by the cross country and indoor track teams.