The Norfolk State University intercollegiate athletics program has experi-enced unprecedented success at the NCAA Division I level during its time in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). This period of progress during the last decade or more has been highlighted by improvements in virtually every area critical to transforming the NSU athletics program into a highly competitive program that will consistently challenge for MEAC and NCAA Division I champi-onships. The catalyst for these advancements has been Marty Miller, who has served as the athletics director at NSU since December 2004. Miller believes that the mission of the athletics program is an extension of the mission of Norfolk State University. He places an emphasis on areas that impact the welfare of stu-dent-athletes. Improving graduation rates, gender equity, and the retention of student-athletes are equally – if not more – important than winning conference and national championships. However, the initiatives designed to enhance the student-athlete experi-ence and improve the overall administrative process have been successful due to the achievements of the teams and individual student-athletes. Perhaps the biggest achievement came in early 2009, when the athletics department was recertified to receive NCAA accreditation for the next 10 years. By achieving certification status, NSU is considered to be operating its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the NCAA’s Divi-sion I membership. Numerous staff and coaching hires have been made to enhance the de-partment’s efficacy. During Miller’s time, new personnel were hired in the areas of academic enhancement, compliance, sports medicine, facilities, strength & conditioning, sports information, business operations and development to meet the growing demand in those departments. The athletics department has made various improvements to its facilities that have collectively brought NSU up to par with any school in the league, including the installation of video boards at the football stadium and basketball arena and a new weight room. On the court of competition, the highlight of NSU’s accomplishments came in 2012. The men’s basketball team won the MEAC championship that year and secured perhaps the most defining moment in the history of NSU athletics: an upset of No. 2 seed and nationally-ranked No. 3 Missouri in the NCAA tourna-ment. NSU advanced to the NIT in 2013 after winning the regular season title at 16-0, at the time the fourth undefeated season in MEAC history. The Spartans made an NIT appearance again in 2019, upsetting No. 1 seed Alabama. The cross country and track teams have dominated the MEAC, amassing 23 conference titles since 2005, including eight straight men’s indoor champi-onships from 2006-13. The men’s cross country team won 11 titles in a 12-year span from 2000-11, one of the most dominating performances among all sports in MEAC history. Altogether, the athletics department has won 37 conference titles since joining the MEAC more than 20 years ago. Norfolk State won its first-ever MEAC bowling cham-pionship in 2012 and made its first-ever national championship appearance in 2013 at the USBC Intercollegiate Team Champi-onships. In addition, bowling, baseball, softball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis have all won a regular season division title since 2013. The accomplishments of NSU student-athletes in the classroom since 2005 have been equally impressive. The number of student-athletes annually named to the MEAC Commis-sioner’s All-Academic Team steadily increased during a five-year span. Most recently, NSU set the program record for most student-athletes on the MEAC All-Academic Team in 2017-18.

Academics• Had a record 100 student-athletes (sophomores or higher) named to MEAC

All-Academic team (min. GPA: 3.0) in 2017-18• Had a record 150 student-athletes earn a spot on the Athletics Director’s Hon-

or Roll (min. GPA: 3.0) in the fall of 2013• Improved student-athlete graduation success rate from 40% to 67%• Graduated a record 66 student-athletes during the 2015-16 academic year• NSU bowling named an National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-Ac-

ademic Team in 2018 for having a team GPA of 3.20 or better; 28 bowlers named all-academic from 2011-18 for having a GPA of 3.40 or better

• Both track & field teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors in 2018 for having a team GPA of 3.0 or better, a first for both programs

• Women’s tennis named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academ-ic Team from 2011-15 and men’s tennis from 2013-16 for having a team GPA of at least 3.20; 31 men’s and women’s players named ITA Scholar-Athletes for having a GPA of 3.50 or better from 2011-16

Program Awards• Won nine straight MEAC men’s all-sports awards (Talmadge Layman Hill

Award) from 2005-13 and a MEAC record 11th in 2017 to earn the NSU Athlet-ics Department a total of $225,000

• Earned the MEAC’s first-ever APR Recognition award in the summer of 2016 for having the highest cumulative APR score among all conference schools

Facility Enhancements• Installed new artificial field turf at Dick Price Stadium to replace the grass

surface and remodeled the athletics academic lab (summer 2018)• Added a four-sided, state-of-the-art Daktronics video board to Joseph G.

Echols basketball arena (fall 2016) as well as a new sound system, 9 new high-definition scorer’s tables and 4 new LED corner arena scoreboard displays

• Added two new state-of-the-art Daktronics video boards to Dick Price Stadium (spring/summer 2012)

• Renovated the basketball arena to add a new floor and platform lift (summer 2014), new chair-back seating (August 2008 and 2009, summer 2013) and fluorescent lighting (2012-13)

• Opened a brand-new weight room with all new equipment on the first floor of Gill Gymnasium (spring 2017)

• Renovated entire court, fencing system and scoreboard at the NSU Tennis Complex (spring 2015) and installed new lights (summer 2013)

• Renovated and resurfaced the Dick Price Stadium track (summer 2010)• Completed softball field renovations in 2007-08, including construction of a

press box, dugouts and restrooms• Replaced the outfield wall at Marty L. Miller Baseball Field (summer 2007) and

installed a new irrigation and drainage system (summer 2013), an athletic turf collar around home plate (summer 2014) and a new scoreboard (winter 2015)

Nor folk State UniversityAthletics Highlights

The following is a list of accomplishments and improvements the NSU athletics program has experienced.

NSU secured its MEAC record 11th Talmadge Layman Hill Award in 2017, the men’s all-sports award given by the

conference each year. NSU also won

nine straight awards from 2005-13.

Softball player Seana Moriarty and baseball player Jonathan Mahoney were named the 2018 Female and Male Scholar Athletes of the Year, respectively, at the department’s

end-of-year awards ceremony. Moriarty later graduated with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.

Men’s Basketball• Won school’s first-ever MEAC Championship in 2012 and earned first NCAA

Division I Tournament berth• As No. 15 seed, defeated No. 2 seed Missouri in NCAA second round, just the

fifth time ever a 15th seed knocked off a 2nd seed in the NCAA Tournament• Finished the year with a 26-10 record, a D-I era wins record• Kyle O’Quinn named MEAC Player of the Year, MEAC Defensive Player of the

Year, MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Performer and the Lou Henson Award winner (national mid-major player of the year) in 2012

• O’Quinn taken with the 49th overall pick in 2012 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, the first MEAC player drafted since 1998 and first NSU player since 1988

• Nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Upset for the win over Missouri• Won school’s first MEAC regular season title with a 16-0 record in 2012-13• Pendarvis Williams named 2013 MEAC Player of the Year; Anthony Evans

tabbed 2013 MEAC Coach of the Year• Won MEAC regular season title again in 2019, upsetting No. 1 seed Alabama in

the NIT first round• Robert Jones named 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year• Advanced to MEAC Championship game for fourth time ever in 2019• Earned seven postseason bids in an eight-year span: the NCAA (2012), NIT

(2013, ‘19) and CollegeInsider.com tournaments (2014-17)

Football• Deon King named Buck Buchanan Award winner and a consensus first-team

All-American in 2015• Lynden Trail named FCS All-American three times, a Buck Buchanan Award

finalist twice, and the CFPA’s 2013 FCS Defensive Performer of the Year• King, Trail and Keenan Lambert each played in regular season NFL games

between 2015-17• A record 10 NSU players were named All-MEAC in 2007, ‘11 and ‘14• Offensive lineman Blake Matthews and kicker Ryan Estep named to Associated

Press FCS All-America second team in 2011• Quarterback Chris Walley named 2011 MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year,

NSU’s first ever; Matthews named MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year• Pete Adrian named MEAC Football Coach of the Year in 2007 and ‘11 as well as

FCS Coach of the Year by College Sporting News in 2011• Earned school’s first-ever national FCS national ranking in 2007 and reached as

high as 18th in 2011 in the FCS Coaches Poll• Had first NFL draftee since 1996 when Don Carey was selected by the Cleve-

land Browns in the sixth round of the 2009 draft

Bowling• Earned school’s first-ever MEAC title in 2012 with a school record 91 wins• Made first postseason appearance in 2013 at USBC Team Championships• Alexa Rodriguez named MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2016• Thea Aspiras named All-MEAC first team four straight years from 2011-14• Aspiras also named to the NTCA All-America second team and the MEAC Rook-

ie of the Year in 2011 as well as honorable mention All-America in 2013• Wilhelmenia Harrison named MEAC Coach of the Year for three straight sea-

sons from 2011-13• Reached as high as program-best No. 10 in the national rankings in 2011-12• Won four MEAC Southern Division titles in a row from 2011-14

Cross Country• Martha Bissah won back-to-back MEAC individual titles in 2017 and ‘18, setting

a new MEAC Championship record in 2017• Won 12th overall men’s cross country MEAC title in 2017• Won 11 MEAC men’s titles in a 12-year span, including a conference-record

seven straight from 2000-06

• Sent a runner to the NCAA D-I National Cross Country Championship for the first time in school and MEAC history in 2006 (David Kemboi)

Spring Sports• Baseball advanced to MEAC Championship final in 2019 for fourth time in six

years and ninth time overall• Keith Shumate (2019), Claudell Clark (2015) named MEAC Coach of the Year• Won four MEAC Northern Division titles in five years from 2015-19• Alsander Womack named Freshman All-American in 2018• Had two MLB draft picks in Devin Hemmerich and Alex Mauricio in 2017, the

first draft picks for the program in 10 years• Mauricio garnered NSU’s first-ever MEAC Player of the Year Award in 2017• Hemmerich named MEAC Pitcher of the Year and 3rd-team All-American in

2017 and to Freshmen All-America Team in 2014• Matt Outman named MEAC Pitcher of the Year in 2015 and again in ‘16• Finished with best overall (29-21) and MEAC records (19-5) in D-I era in 2016• Softball won MEAC Northern Division title in 2019• James Inzana named 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year• Haley Ward named MEAC Player of the Year and second-team All-Southeast

Region in 2013, both a first for the program• Advanced to the if-necessary game of the MEAC Championship final in 2013,

the second-ever title game appearance• Had a D-I record 31 wins and a program-record 15 MEAC victories in 2013• Men’s Tennis advanced to MEAC Championship final in 2014 for first time ever• Dzmitry Zyhmantovich named 2014 MEAC Player of the Year• Igor Braga (2012), Zyhmantovich (2013) and Benedikt Henning (2016) each

named MEAC Rookie of the Year• Nate Feldman garnered MEAC Coach of the Year honors in 2013• Tied for first in Southern Division in 2013 for first ever regular season title• Women’s Tennis captured MEAC Northern Division titles in 2016 and 2019• Took home major MEAC awards in 2019 (Naz Karagoz, Player of the Year) and

2016 (Worth Richardson, Coach of the Year; Marta Gomar, Rookie of the Year) • Men’s Track became first MEAC program to win both the indoor and outdoor

conference championships for seven consecutive academic years (2006-12)• Won a record eighth straight indoor title in 2013• Had NCAA Indoor All-Americans in 2012 (Sean Holston, 1st team), 2013 (James

Taylor, 2nd team) and 2019 (Trequan Barnes, 2nd team)• Garnered NCAA Outdoor All-America honors in 2011 (Holston, Aramis Massen-

burg, Darris Shelton, honorable mention), 2012 (Keith Nkrumah, honorable mention) and 2013 (Taylor, Nkrumah, 2nd team)

• Had two (Marlon Woods, Corey Vinston) earn D-I All-American status in the same championship meet for the first time in school history in 2009

• Women’s Track won the school’s first MEAC Indoor Championship in 10 years in 2010

• Had two (Kiara Grant, 1st Team; Martha Bis-sah, 2nd Team) garner All-America status at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships

• Bissah also earned 1st-Team All-America status at 2018 Outdoors and 2019 indoors

• Bissah named Most Outstanding Runner at 2017 and ‘18 MEAC Indoor Championships

• Kiara Howell named Most Outstanding Field Athlete at MEAC Outdoor Champion-ships three years in a row from 2013-15

• Champagne Bell named honorable men-tion All-America at NCAA Outdoors in 2011 and ‘13

Media Exposure• Made numerous appearances on national media outlets, including ESPN and

CBS, as well as in national newspapers such as The New York Times following upset of Missouri in NCAA men’s basketball tournament

• Received over 90,000 web site visits in March 2012, a record for a single month for www.NSUSpartans.com

• Averaged over 41,000 web site visits per month during the 2011-12 academic year, the best one-year period in school history

• Increased following on social media channels each year since inception• Redesigned www.NSUSpartans.com in the summers of 2013 and 2017• Had a school-record eight games on national TV in 2011-12 and 2012-13• Former basketball player Brehanna Daniels made national headlines after

graduating in 2016 by becoming the first-ever African-American female to serve on a pit crew in a NASCAR-sponsored race

Don Carey played 10 seasons in the NFL before retiring following the 2018 season. Kyle O’Quinn wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA in 2018-19.

All-American Kiara Grant finished 6th in the 100 meters at the 2019 NCAA Championships