NORFOLK, Va. – The defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season and tournament champions headlined the 2023-24 MEAC Women's Basketball preseason polls, announced by the conference on Thursday afternoon as part of its media day festivities.
 
Norfolk State was picked first in the MEAC's predicted order of finish, earning four preseason all-conference accolades. Kierra Wheeler was named to the All-MEAC Preseason First Team, Niya Fields received a second team nod, while Makoye Diawara and Da'naijah Williams landed on the third team.
 
The poll was voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Norfolk State narrowly finished ahead of the 2022 runner-up, Howard, in the predicted team standings. NSU received 115 points with 12 first-place votes, while Howard amassed 114 points and two first-place votes.
 
Wheeler gave the Spartans a crucial boost in her first year with the Spartans, averaging 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game to earn a Third Team All-MEAC selection . She took her game to another level in the postseason, recording a pair of 20+ point double-doubles, receiving the MEAC Tournament Most Valuable Player award.
 
Fields returns as the Spartans' poised presence at the point guard position, averaging 6.7 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per contest as a sophomore. She recorded a career-high nine assists against Delaware State, helping the Spartans' score 70 points that evening.
 
Diawara started 26 games during the 2023-24 season, averaging 6.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor. Her best performance of the year came against U.T. Martin at the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic, exploding for career highs of 21 points and 16 rebounds.
 
Williams consistently proved herself as one of the top defenders on one of the top defensive teams in the country last year. Averaging 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game during the 2022-23 season, she provided a crucial offensive boost during the Spartans' semifinal matchup against North Carolina Central, contributing 14 points in the 81-59 victory.

Norfolk State opens its 2023-24 campaign at William & Mary on Monday, Nov. 6. The Spartans will play their first home game on Education Day, an 11 a.m. matchup with Appalachian State on Nov. 16.
   

Name	Pos	Class	Ht.	School	Hometown
Destiny Howell	G	Sr.	6'0"	Howard	Queens, N.Y.
Kierra Wheeler	F	Jr.	6'1"	Norfolk State	Minneapolis, Minn.
Mossi Staples	G	R-Sr.	5'7"	Coppin State	Fort Washington, Md.
Zamara Haynes	G	Sr.	5'7"	Maryland E. Shore	Philadelphia, Pa.
Kimeira Burks	G	R-Sr.	5'8"	N.C. Central	Chicago, Ill.

 

Name	Pos	Class	Ht.	School	Hometown
Kaniyah Harris	G	Sr.	5'10"	Howard	Capital Heights, Md.
Niya Fields	G	Jr.	5'8"	Norfolk State	Peekskill, N.Y.
Savannah Brooks	G/F	So.	5'9"	Delaware State	Taneytown, Md.
Iyanna Warren	G	Sr.	5'3"	Howard	Accokeek, Md.
Gabrielle Johnson	G	So.	5'8"	Morgan State	Baltimore, Md.

 

Name	Pos	Class	Ht.	School	Hometown
Aniya Finger	F	R-Jr.	6'1"	N.C. Central	Charlotte, N.C.
Faith Blackstone	G	R-Jr.	6'0"	Coppin State	Harrisburg, Pa.
Makoye Diawara	F	Jr.	6'0"	Norfolk State	Bayonne, N.J.
Morgan Callahan	F	R-Jr.	6'1"	N.C. Central	Beach Park, Ill.
Da'naijah Williams	G	Jr.	5'9"	Norfolk State	Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

School (First-Place Votes)	Points
1. Norfolk State (12)	115
2. Howard (2)	114
3. Morgan State (1)	86
4. Maryland Eastern Shore (1)	67
5. Coppin State	64
6. North Carolina Central	54
7. Delaware State	43
8. South Carolina State	18