Final Meet Results  |  Photo Gallery

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Fiona Masai's gold medal in the steeplechase, coupled with several solid performances in the field events, propelled the Norfolk State women's track and field team to a third-place finish at the 2014 MEAC Outdoor Championships on Saturday at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T.

Sophomore Kiara Howell was named the MEAC Women's Most Outstanding Field Athlete of the meet on Saturday. She earned 22 of NSU's 79 points over the three-day competition. Howell took second place with a personal-best throw of 140 feet, 5 inches in the javelin on Saturday. That came on the heels of her second-place finish in the discus on Thursday and a third-place effort in the shot put on Friday.

Hampton won the women's team title with 154.5 points. Florida A&M was second with 115 points and NSU was third with 79.

NSU picked up two first-place finishes on Saturday. Junior Tiara Davis began the day by winning her first career outdoor pole vault title. She cleared 10 feet, 6 inches, her best effort of the season. The mark was nearly a foot better than Davis' nearest competitor and more than enough to earn her a yearly sweep of the MEAC indoor and outdoor gold medals in the event. Freshman Te'Shaibrah Myles cleared 8-11.75 to finish fifth in the same event.

Approximately six hours later, Masai earned the Spartans' only other gold medal in the meet in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. She crossed the finish line in 11 minutes, 25.78 seconds, nearly nine seconds ahead of runner-up Devyn Thompson of Hampton. It was the first MEAC victory for the first-year Spartan transfer from Butler Community College.

In other track events Saturday, junior Brittney McCants placed sixth in the 100 meter dash. She clocked a time of 11.71 seconds. That time coupled with her 11.67 in Friday's prelims were the Spartans' two-fastest times of outdoor season.

McCants also teamed with Rayiana Johnson, Champagne Bell and Torie Cunningham to clock a time of 46.18 seconds in the 4x100 relay, good for sixth place. That represents a season-best time for NSU in the 4x100, and the Spartans lowered their time in each of their final five meets of the season.

Elsewhere on Saturday, junior Kaydianne McKenzie set a new PR in the triple jump. Her best leap was 40 feet, 1.5 inches, her first time ever topping the 40-foot mark. McKenzie took fourth place in the event and sophomore Desmonae Gray was fifth. Gray's top effort was 39-8.75, her second-best jump of the season.