Norfolk State University Women's Cross Country

Berard serves as director of track & field operations and throws coach for Norfolk State University. In all, Berard is in her 19th year on the coaching staff in the NSU athletics department. Berard guided the Spartan women to three MEAC championships during her tenure as head coach. In 2009, Berard helped the Spartan womens cross country team win its first-ever MEAC title. During track season, the Spartans won their first MEAC indoor title since 2000, and placed second at the conference outdoor championship. The Spartans won another MEAC title in 2011 when they captured the conference outdoor title. Later that same season, one of Berards protégés, long jumper Champagne Bell, earned honorable mention All-America honors by advancing to the NCAA National Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Bell repeated that feat again in 2013. She was one of six Spartan women who qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round last year, the most for a Spartan team under Berards tutelage. In her first year as head coach, Berard directed the Spartans to runner-up finishes in the 2005 MEAC Cross Country Championship and in the 2006 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championship. NSU has also finished as runner-up at three other MEAC cross country and track championships during Berards tenure. Prior to taking over the reins of the program from long-time coach LaVerne Sweat in 2005-06, Berard served as an assistant coach for the Spartans for 10 seasons. Berards tenure as an assistant included two other MEAC championships, the 2000 indoor and 2001 outdoor titles. As an assistant, Berard helped coach two other Division I All-Americans: 400-meter world champion Debbie Dunn, who earned a pair of All-American honors in 2000, and long jumper Tianna Goldring (2004). Berard came to NSU from Granby High School, where she was the assistant track coach in 1994-95. Berard earned her bachelors degree in criminal justice in 1990 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette). She was a scholarship track athlete at USL, and also played on the womens basketball team. Berard was a two-time Sun Belt Conference champion in the discus throw, and at one time held the schools shot put and discus records. Berard earned her masters degree in special education/severe disabilities rehabilitation counseling from NSU in 1997. She is also a 2008 graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy. Berard, a Louisiana native, is a Diamond Lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is an active member of the organizations Chesapeake/Virginia Beach Alumnae Chapter. She is married to Patrick Berard Sr. They have two children: Patrick Jr. and Aronji. Ronda Berard Director of Track & Field Operations/Throws Coach Twitter: Ronda Berard serves as director of track & field operations and throws coach for Norfolk State University. In all, Berard is in her 19th year on the coaching staff in the NSU athletics department. Berard guided the Spartan women to three MEAC championships during her tenure as head coach. In 2009, Berard helped the Spartan womens cross country team win its first-ever MEAC title. During track season, the Spartans won their first MEAC indoor title since 2000, and placed second at the conference outdoor championship. The Spartans won another MEAC title in 2011 when they captured the conference outdoor title. Later that same season, one of Berards protégés, long jumper Champagne Bell, earned honorable mention All-America honors by advancing to the NCAA National Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Bell repeated that feat again in 2013. She was one of six Spartan women who qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round last year, the most for a Spartan team under Berards tutelage. In her first year as head coach, Berard directed the Spartans to runner-up finishes in the 2005 MEAC Cross Country Championship and in the 2006 MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championship. NSU has also finished as runner-up at three other MEAC cross country and track championships during Berards tenure. Prior to taking over the reins of the program from long-time coach LaVerne Sweat in 2005-06, Berard served as an assistant coach for the Spartans for 10 seasons. Berards tenure as an assistant included two other MEAC championships, the 2000 indoor and 2001 outdoor titles. As an assistant, Berard helped coach two other Division I All-Americans: 400-meter world champion Debbie Dunn, who earned a pair of All-American honors in 2000, and long jumper Tianna Goldring (2004). Berard came to NSU from Granby High School, where she was the assistant track coach in 1994-95. Berard earned her bachelors degree in criminal justice in 1990 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette). She was a scholarship track athlete at USL, and also played on the womens basketball team. Berard was a two-time Sun Belt Conference champion in the discus throw, and at one time held the schools shot put and discus records. Berard earned her masters degree in special education/severe disabilities rehabilitation counseling from NSU in 1997. She is also a 2008 graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy. Berard, a Louisiana native, is a Diamond Lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is an active member of the organizations Chesapeake/Virginia Beach Alumnae Chapter. She is married to Patrick Berard Sr. They have two children: Patrick Jr. and Aronji.

Watts is in his 10th season on the NSU track and field coaching staff. He works with the Spartans sprinters, jumpers and relay teams. Watts rejoined the NSU track and field program in 2013 after a three-year stint as head track coach at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach. At Ocean Lakes, he helped the Dolphins win three Beach District team titles. He had 12 of his athletes qualify for Virginia state track meets and his athletes set 12 new school records. In his most recent stint with the NSU men (2005-10), Watts contributed to the Spartans streak of six straight MEAC indoor and outdoor championship sweeps. He was also instrumental in the development of numerous athletes who achieved success nationally.  From 2007-10, Watts helped more than a dozen NSU athletes qualify for the NCAA East Regional. They included Marlon Woods, a 2009 NCAA indoor long jump All-American who was also named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year in 2008; Corey Vinston, who set the school indoor long jump record and also earned All-America honors with Woods in the long jump in 2009; Sean Holston, who earned indoor All-America honors in the 200 meters in 2010; and Raphael Hall, who earned outdoor all-America recognition in the high jump in 2010. Watts has coached NSU athletes who have set indoor school records in the 300 meters (Troy Wilkerson, then Holston), long jump (Vinston) and high jump (Woods) and an outdoor school record in the decathlon (Meredith Whitties). In addition, sprinter Derrick Baker set the MEAC Indoor Championship record in the 60-meter dash in 2006. Watts was an assistant womens track coach at NSU from 1999-2001. During that time, he helped head coach LaVerne Sweat lead the Spartan women to their first-ever MEAC outdoor championship, in 2001. He also helped tutor NSUs first Division I All-American female, sprinter Debbie Dunn, in 2000.  Watts was a standout sprinter himself for the Spartans from 1994-98. He ran the first leg on NSUs first Division I All-American relay team, the 4x100 team in 1998. He also ran on the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams that became the first HBCU squads to win their respective Championship of America races at the prestigious Penn Relays in 1996. Both of those relay squads still own the school records in their respective events. Watts was also a team captain of the Spartans in 1997 and 1998. A native of Georgetown, Guyana, Watts represented his country in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in the 100 meters. He earned his bachelors degree in psychology from NSU in 1998. Malcolm Watts Assistant Track & Field Coach Twitter: Malcolm Watts is in his 10th season on the NSU track and field coaching staff. He works with the Spartans sprinters, jumpers and relay teams. Watts rejoined the NSU track and field program in 2013 after a three-year stint as head track coach at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach. At Ocean Lakes, he helped the Dolphins win three Beach District team titles. He had 12 of his athletes qualify for Virginia state track meets and his athletes set 12 new school records. In his most recent stint with the NSU men (2005-10), Watts contributed to the Spartans streak of six straight MEAC indoor and outdoor championship sweeps. He was also instrumental in the development of numerous athletes who achieved success nationally.  From 2007-10, Watts helped more than a dozen NSU athletes qualify for the NCAA East Regional. They included Marlon Woods, a 2009 NCAA indoor long jump All-American who was also named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year in 2008; Corey Vinston, who set the school indoor long jump record and also earned All-America honors with Woods in the long jump in 2009; Sean Holston, who earned indoor All-America honors in the 200 meters in 2010; and Raphael Hall, who earned outdoor all-America recognition in the high jump in 2010. Watts has coached NSU athletes who have set indoor school records in the 300 meters (Troy Wilkerson, then Holston), long jump (Vinston) and high jump (Woods) and an outdoor school record in the decathlon (Meredith Whitties). In addition, sprinter Derrick Baker set the MEAC Indoor Championship record in the 60-meter dash in 2006. Watts was an assistant womens track coach at NSU from 1999-2001. During that time, he helped head coach LaVerne Sweat lead the Spartan women to their first-ever MEAC outdoor championship, in 2001. He also helped tutor NSUs first Division I All-American female, sprinter Debbie Dunn, in 2000.  Watts was a standout sprinter himself for the Spartans from 1994-98. He ran the first leg on NSUs first Division I All-American relay team, the 4x100 team in 1998. He also ran on the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams that became the first HBCU squads to win their respective Championship of America races at the prestigious Penn Relays in 1996. Both of those relay squads still own the school records in their respective events. Watts was also a team captain of the Spartans in 1997 and 1998. A native of Georgetown, Guyana, Watts represented his country in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in the 100 meters. He earned his bachelors degree in psychology from NSU in 1998.

Bengono is in his ninth season as an assistant track coach at Norfolk State University. Bengono works primarily with NSUs sprinters, with a focus on the 100 meter dash and 4x100 relay teams. Bengono has been on staff for two MEAC titles that the NSU womens program has won (2010 indoor, 2011 outdoor). He has also been on staff for the majority of the NSU mens record run of seven straight MEAC indoor-outdoor championship sweeps and eight straight MEAC indoor crowns. While working primarily with the Spartan women, Bengono has tutored many athletes who have reached NCAA postseason competition. In 2009, former MEAC champion sprinter Shanneka Claiborne and the NSU womens 4x100 squad qualified for the NCAA East Regional. The 4x100 team advanced to the regional again in 2011 and 2013.    In 2012, the NSU women reached the Championship of America finals in both the 4x100 and 4x200 relay events at the Penn Relays. And in 2013, in addition to the 4x100 team, both Torie Cunningham and Brittney McCants qualified for the NCAA regional in the 100 meters. Bengono came to NSU from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he assisted during the 2005 outdoor season.   Bengono boasts a wealth of collegiate and international experience. He is a two-time Summer Olympian, having competed in the 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney) Games for his native Cameroon in the 100 meters and on the 4x100 relay team. He participated at four IAAF World Championships and won numerous medals at the African championships. Bengono lettered three years at George Mason University and excelled in the short sprints (60, 100 and 200 meters) and on the 4x100 relay team. He won the IC4A title in the 100 meters as a sophomore in 2001. At one time, Bengono held school records in the 60 meters (6.74), 100 meters (10.25) and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team (39.65). Bengono earned NCAA Division I All-America honors on the Patriots 4x100 relay team as a senior. Bengono transferred to George Mason from Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, Texas, where he won multiple NAIA All-American honors and also played soccer as a freshman in 2000. He was the schools Newcomer of the Year for 1999-2000. Bengono earned his bachelors degree in communication from George Mason in 2003 and his masters in education with a concentration in school counseling from Cambridge College.

Kenneth Giles enters his 22nd season as Norfolk State's head men's track and field coach and his 26th season as head men's cross-country coach in 2026-27. He also enters his 14th season as director of Norfolk State's track and field programs, overseeing the men's and women's track and cross-country teams with responsibilities that include recruiting, scheduling, and home meet operations.   One of the most successful coaches in MEAC history, Giles has led the men's cross-country program to 18 conference championships, including a record seven consecutive titles from 2000-06. The Spartans also won conference crowns from 2008-11 and added championships in 2017, 2019, and each season from 2021-25. Norfolk State earned top-12 finishes at the NCAA Southeast Regional in 2002 (12th) and 2005 (eighth), while also recording MEAC runner-up finishes in 1999, 2007, 2012, and 2016.   Giles has enjoyed similar success on the track. He guided the Spartans to seven consecutive sweeps of the MEAC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships from 2006-12 and eight straight indoor titles from 2006-13. Norfolk State returned to championship form beginning in 2021, sweeping the MEAC indoor and outdoor titles each season through 2026 while also capturing the cross country championship to complete six consecutive men's championship sweeps.   Prior to becoming head coach, Giles helped the Spartans win both the MEAC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships during the 2000-01 academic year as an assistant coach.   Under Giles' leadership, Norfolk State athletes have won 12 individual MEAC cross country championships and earned three NCAA All-Southeast Region honors. In 2006, David Kemboi became the first Norfolk State and MEAC runner to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.   Since taking over the track and field program, Giles has coached athletes to more than 100 individual MEAC championships and over 400 All-MEAC honors. His student-athletes have qualified for NCAA regional competition 104 times. Giles has also mentored 15 USTFCCCA All-Americans during his tenure as head coach. Marlon Woods and Corey Vinston earned All-America honors in the long jump at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships, while Woods became the first Spartan to earn NCAA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year honors in 2008.   His list of All-Americans includes four-time honoree Martha Bissah (800 meters), three-time All-American Kiara Grant (sprints), and two-time All-Americans Sean Holston (sprints), James Taylor (sprints), Keith Nkrumah (hurdles), and Champagne Bell (long jump). Trequan Barnes earned second-team All-America honors in 2019, the men's 4x100-meter relay garnered outdoor All-America recognition in 2021, and Kendrick Winfield earned USTFCCCA Indoor Second Team All-America honors in 2025.   As an assistant coach, Giles also worked with three Norfolk State All-Americans: Desmond Kapofu (triple jump), Adrian Shears (high jump), and Olympian Christopher Brown (400 meters).   For his success in cross country and track and field, Giles has earned MEAC Most Outstanding Coach honors 46 times. In 2025, he was inducted into the Norfolk State Athletics Hall of Fame.   A former standout middle-distance runner, Giles competed in the 800 meters at both Hagerstown Community College and the University of North Florida. He earned Junior College All-America honors in 1985 after placing eighth in the 800 meters at the national indoor championships. Giles later broke North Florida's indoor 800-meter school record.   Giles also served as the personal coach of Brown, a former Norfolk State All-American and five-time Olympian for the Bahamas. Brown won four Olympic medals in the 4x400-meter relay, including a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. He remains the only male athlete to compete in the 400 meters at five Olympic Games and the only four-time Olympic medalist in the 4x400-meter relay.   Giles earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Florida in 1987. He and his wife, LaCresha, have two children, Kenneth Jr. and Ebone Kennya.