CARY, N.C. – Led by four runners finishing in the top eight, the Norfolk State women's cross country team won its second straight MEAC title on Friday morning at the WakeMed Soccer Park.

Fridah Koech paced the champions with a runner-up overall finish. She completed the 5,000-meter course in 19 minutes, 3.3 seconds, trailing only first-place Jada Banks of South Carolina State. Three-time MEAC champion Martha Bissah, running in her first meet of the season, took fifth in a time of 19:36.9.

Junior Kara Grant was third among the Spartans. She finished sixth overall in 19:41.2. Tynniesia Wilson, a first-year cross country athlete who also high jumps on the Spartan track team, placed eighth in 19:44.6. All four of the Spartans' top finishers earned All-MEAC honors by finishing in the top 15.

Rounding out NSU's top five finishers was Faith Jemutai, who was 20^th in 20:50.4.

Bissah, Koech and Grant all earned All-MEAC honors in 2019 when the Spartans won their most recent championship. The conference did not hold a championship during the 2020-21 academic year due to the pandemic.

NSU head coach Kenneth Giles was named MEAC Most Outstanding Women's Coach.

"This was a total team effort, from our President "Dr. J" to our Athletics Director Ms. Webb to all our support staff. It's been a challenging year for us to get to this point, but it all paid off with a great championship performance," Giles said. "Fridah had a great season and she capped it off with a great race today. I'm really proud of this team for overcoming adversity all year."