SMYRNA, Del. – For a record 13th time since 2000 and the second time in the last three years, the Norfolk State men's cross country team is the class of the MEAC.

Paced by MEAC individual champion Meshack Kipchirchir and four of the meet's top five finishers, the Spartans won the 2019 title on Saturday morning at the Delaware State Outreach and Research Center. The Spartans compiled a meet-low 25 points as all five of their top finishers earned All-MEAC honors. North Carolina A&T was second with 40 points.

Kipchirchir became the first Spartan male to win the MEAC title since Josef Tessema in 2011. The sophomore finished the 8,000-meter course in 25 minutes, 3.44 seconds, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for NSU. Freshman Evans Cheruiyot was second in 25:09.81, and sophomore Lelei Too was third in a personal-best 25:24.5. All three Spartans were competing at their first MEAC cross country meet.

Senior Anteneh Girma took fifth place and earned his third career All-MEAC honor. He crossed the line in a season-best 25:48.48. Senior Festus Bett rounded out NSU's top five and garnered all-conference honors for the fourth straight year, placing 14th in 26:59.84.

Though they did not factor into the team score, sophomore Kamil Jihad (19th, 27:39.79) and freshman Je'Shawn Walker (22nd, 27:59.57) also finished among the top 25.

Head coach Kenneth Giles was named MEAC Men's Most Outstanding Coach. 

The Spartans will compete at the NCAA Southeast Regional meet in Earlysville, Virginia, on Nov. 15.