LANDOVER, Md. – Kiara Grant's meet record in the 60-meter dash and two more gold medals for junior
Martha Bissah highlighted the final day of action for the NSU women at the 2019 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex.
Led by a combined three victories for those two women, NSU finished fourth in the team standings with 79 points. North Carolina A&T won with 174 points, followed by Florida A&M with 118.5 and Bethune-Cookman with 98.
Grant pulled off somewhat of an upset in the 60-meter dash. She outraced MEAC leader Kayla White of North Carolina A&T to win her race in a meet-record 7.22 seconds. That gave the sophomore from Jamaica her first-ever MEAC gold and also vaulted her into the top 10 in the nation in that event.
Bissah continued her MEAC dominance on the track on Saturday. She remained undefeated in MEAC indoor championship individual races by winning the mile (4:55.56) and 800 meters (2:07.16) for the third straight year. She has now won a total of 13 MEAC track and field gold medals, 11 in individual races, including indoor and outdoor competitions in her first two-plus years as a Spartan.
Bissah and Grant led a strong showing on the track for the Spartans Saturday. In addition to her win in the 60m, Grant also placed third in the 200 meters with a PR of 24.26 seconds. Sophomore
Malika Pride ran a 400m time of 56.64 seconds to place third, earning her first-ever MEAC individual medal. And senior
Taejah Robertson clocked a personal-best time of 8.40 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, earning fifth place.
NSU capped the meet by winning its heat and taking fourth overall in the 4x400 relay. Bissah, Robertson, Pride and senior
Crystal Green comprised the quartet in the relay.
In field events, freshman
Tiara Simms recorded a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 41 feet, 8.5 inches, more than two feet better than her previous best throw this indoor season.
Bissah, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 800, and Grant are in position to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama in two weeks.