NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State women's cross country team will attempt to win its first-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title this Saturday at the 2009 MEAC Cross Country Championship. The 3.1-mile (5,000 meters) race begins at 9:45 a.m. in Princess Anne, Md.

NSU came close to winning at the 2008 championship, finishing second behind Maryland Eastern Shore. UMES tallied 55 points, while the Spartans finished with 73 points. Naomi Tanui of Coppin State was the individual winner. She finished the course in 17 minutes, 35 seconds.

Freshman Aurora Scott (Portsmouth, Va.) has the fastest 5K-time in the MEAC this season. She posted a time of 18:27 in the HBCU Challenge at the Great American Cross Country Festival earlier this month. Scott earned three consecutive MEAC weekly honors this season and has paced the Spartans in each of the four races she competed in.

Junior Jennifer Chichester (Silver Spring, Md.) and senior Tia Miles (Richmond, Va.) are NSU's All-MEAC performers from last year. Chichester finished fourth in 18:05 at last year's championship, and is third in the MEAC this season with a time of 18:52. Miles turned in a ninth-place finish at the 2008 championship, earning her second consecutive All-MEAC designation.

In all, the Spartans have four runners who are currently ranked in the conference's top-20. Freshman Kellen Rotto (Eldoret, Kenya) is 11th with a time of 19:34, while sophomore Jamia Hutto (Orlando, Fla.) has the 19th-best time in the conference (20:37). Hutto finished 16th at last year's championship in 19:16.

NSU will also get help from senior Candace Shoates (Newport News, Va.), junior Chynell Gray (Virginia Beach, Va.), sophomores Syeeda Gee (Philadelphia, Pa.), Shaniqua Moore (Baltimore, Md.), and Danielle Stanley (Chesapeake, Va.) and freshman Mercy Koech (Londiani, Kenya).

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the 2009 MEAC Cross Country Championships, log on to www.meacsports.com.