Both the Norfolk State men's and women's teams swept up multiple accolades in the MEAC All-Conference awards ceremony. They both sit atop the standings as the number one seeds and are in prime position to win the conference and secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

On the women's side, Norfolk State's Kierra Wheeler won MEAC Player of the Year, and was one of two Spartans on the All-MEAC First Team. Wheeler nearly averaged a double-double with 17.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She also averaged 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, and shot 72.5% from the free throw line.

As the Spartans' leading scorer and second-leading rebounder in the conference, Wheeler recorded nine games over 20 points, and two games with more than 30. She had 14 games with over 10 rebounds, and posted 13 double-doubles. Wheeler shone brightest in an overtime win against High Point, where she posted a double-double of 33 points and 17 rebounds, along with five assists, two blocks, and two steals.

Wheeler's teammate both at Norfolk State and on the All-MEAC First Team, Diamond Johnson, won the Newcomer of the Year award. Johnson transferred from North Carolina State and immediately made an impact this season. She averaged 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.9 steals. She also shot 39.7% from three-point range and 85.7% from the free throw line. The Spartans' point guard had a field day most recently in the MEAC tournament against Coppin State, who had a few award winners of their own. Johnson drained six three-pointers on her way to 30 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and two assists in a 73-44 tournament win.

Johnson's other 30-point performance this season came in a 79-49 rout against Morgan State in February. She dropped 32 points, four rebounds, five assists, four steals, and made five of her six three-point attempts. Both Johnson and Wheeler also earned spots on the All-Defensive team.

Although Johnson and Wheeler are more seasoned veterans, the Spartans have young stars ready on their roster. Junior guard Niya Fields earned a slot on the Second Team. Norfolk State also boasted two freshmen guards on the All-Rookie team, Da'Brya Clark and Anjanae Richardson.

For guiding Norfolk State to a 26-5 (13-1) record, head coach Larry Vickers received the Coach of the Year award. His Spartans are currently on a 14-game winning streak, including two MEAC tournament victories over South Carolina State and Coppin State. Furthermore, nearly all of the wins on this streak have been by double-digits, outside of a 59-53 win over Howard. Their last loss, coincidentally, was on Jan. 20, where they fell 73-60 to the Howard Bison. The two will rematch each other in the MEAC semifinals on March 16 at 4:00 p.m.

In terms of the other major awards, Howard's Tyana Walker earned Rookie of the Year honors. Coppin State's Laila Lawrence and Faith Blackstone received recognition as the Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year, respectively. Wheeler, Johnson, Blackstone, Lawrence, and Walker constitute the All-MEAC First Team. Howard actually had the most players on the All-Conference teams. Iyanna Warren made the Second Team, and Nile Miller and Kaiya Creek both made the Third Team.

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To no one's surprise, Norfolk State's Jamarii Thomas won the Player of the Year for the men's team. A transfer from UNC Wilmington, Thomas also won the Newcomer of the Year award. He absolutely thrived in his new situation, jumping from 7.1 points per game in 2022-23 to 17.2 in 2023-24 with the Spartans.

He also averaged 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals, and show 39.1% from three-point range. Thomas cracked the 30-point threshold once this season against Illinois State. He was the Spartans' driving force in their 80-74 win against North Carolina Central on Feb. 19, a crucial game that helped Norfolk State secure the top seed in the conference. Thomas finished with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and knocked down 16 of 19 free throws.

Of the other candidates, Howard's Bryce Harris pushed Thomas the most for the Player of the Year award. Harris earned a slot on the All-MEAC First Team for averaging 16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks. In overall scoring, Harris literally finished a single point behind Thomas.

Thomas finished with 533 total points this season, and Harris ended with 532. 28 of those 532 points came recently against Morgan State in the conference tournament. Harris led the Bison to a 78-65 win with 28 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals. Like the women's tournament, the Bison and Spartans will face off against each other in the MEAC championship on March 15 at 6:00 p.m.

Though Norfolk State's men's team wasn't nearly as dominant as their women's team, head coach Robert Jones still won the Coach of the Year award for guiding the Spartans to a 22-10 (11-3) record. Spartan forward Allen Betrand also took home some hardware, winning the 6th Player of the Year award. Maryland Eastern Shore's Troy Hupstead won Defensive Player of the Year, and Delaware State's Deywilk Tavarez won Rookie of the Year. Along with Thomas, Harris, and Hupstead, Delaware State's Martaz Robinson and North Carolina Central's Fred Cleveland Jr. made the All-MEAC First Team.