Cross Country Teams Aim for National Success in 2024

The Norfolk State cross country teams head into the upcoming season with the same mindset, defending their MEAC crowns and increasing success on the national stage. 

“We are looking to sweep both of those MEAC Championships this season,” associate head coach Ernest Barrett said. “We have some of the strongest runners returning, along with newcomers that can make an immediate impact for our program.” 

The NSU men’s team earned their 16th MEAC Championship and their fourth consecutive last year. The women’s team returned to the top of the MEAC as well, winning its first conference championship since 2021. Both squads also return MEAC Individual champions Mercyline Kimaiyo and Gidion Sigei. 

Norfolk State’s coaching staff has its eyes set on delivering the high expectations put in front of them to take a further leap on the national scale this season. 

“We believe that we have assembled one of the best cross-country programs in our school history this season,” Barrett said. “We did a great job with bringing in new talent to take us to the next level.”  

The Norfolk State women’s squad saw its first appearance as a team on the national stage last year. 

The women’s squad return to the top of the MEAC last season, reaching the NCAA Regionals for the first time in program history, where they placed 28th. 

“We have five solid distant runners that can go below 17 minutes in cross country which is truly unpresented,” Barrett said. 

Kimaiyo leads the women’s squad after she won her second consecutive MEAC Championship last season. Picking up three MEAC weekly honors, Kimaiyo also competed on the national stage, taking a team best 74th place in a field of over 230 runners. 

Jahmei Wyatt and Ludjenie Modesir, who placed fifth and 10th at the MEAC Championships, respectively serve as key returners from the team’s championship roster. 

Other returners include Emani Thompson who ran her personal best time at the MEAC Championships in the 5k last season (21:06.9) and Lenna Lewis who recorded her personal best 5k time at the Great American XC Festival last season (20:13.6). 

The team introduces three newcomers that include freshmen Abigael Chebet and Amira Dailey along with sophomore transfer from Eastern Kentucky Sonia Koech. 

The Norfolk State men’s squad has won four straight MEAC Championships, looking to take their fifth straight home this year. Every player was brought back from last year’s squad and looking to make a big impact on the national stage this upcoming season. Last season, all the Spartans finished in the top 10 spots at the MEAC Championships to win the event with 30 points. 

“Last season we took 16th on the national level, our goal this upcoming season is to finish in the top eight,” Giles said. “We have the talent to be one of the top schools in the nation.”

Gidion Sigei leads the men’s squad coming off a MEAC Championship win last season and a 28th place finish at the NCAA Region championships. Sigei also earned a pair of MEAC weekly honors during the season.  

Raphael Kitur also took one MEAC weekly honor and finished second at the MEAC Championships. The Spartans bring back two more top-five finishers from the conference meet, Brian Rotich and Victor Jumo. The team also have Evans Pololet coming back who was an eighth-place finisher at the MEAC Championships last season. The squad also sees the addition of Washington State transfer Christopher Bett. 

“We have the talent to take the top five places at the MEAC Championships and take this program to the next level,” Barrett said.

The Spartans will open the season at the Maryland Eastern Shore Opener on Aug. 31. After that they will see some tough competition at the Virginia Invite on Sept. 14. 

The teams will follow that up with a course that they really love at the ECU Pirate Invite in Greenville, N.C. on Oct. 4th. 

“We love the course in Greenville. It helps us boost our team’s confidence as it is a very flat course which allows us to run fast and gives our team that morality boost heading into the late part of the season,” Barrett said. 

The Spartans will then be returning to Earlysville, Va. for the Panorama Farms Invite on Oct. 19th. 

“The competition that we see at this meet will help us prepare for MEAC Championships and the NCAA Regional,” Barrett said. 

The teams wrap up their season with a title defense at the MEAC Championships on Oct. 26th in Smyrna, Del. Before hoping to get to the NCAA SE Regional on Nov. 15th in Rock Hill, S.C. and the National Championships in Madison, Wis. on Nov. 23rd. 

The coaching staff has very high hopes for the season and the NCAA Regionals, while hoping to see some Spartans make it to Madison, Wis. for the national meet.