Norfolk State sophomore John James (Nansemond River) won the high jump championship at the MEAC Championships at North Carolina A&T on Friday as part of the Spartans winning the conference’s team crown for the sixth straight year.

James topped 7-feet-0.5 to win the title, beating out Hampton senior Damon Dixon by 1.75 inches. James jumped a new personal best by 2.75 inches.

At last year’s MEAC Outdoor Championships, James tied for first but placed second due to more misses.

The Spartan team swept both MEAC titles, indoor and outdoor, for the sixth straight year.

Norfolk State carries a 12-game winning streak into the MEAC Softball Tournament after sweeping three games at North Carolina Central during the weekend.

Third baseman and clean-up hitter Whitney Holland (King’s Fork) went 6-for-12 with seven RBI and two runs in the three wins at NCCU. For the season, Holland’s hitting .320 with 32 RBI.

The winning streak’s the longest for the Lady Spartan program since it moved into NCAA Division I in 1998. NSU (22-23) opens the conference tourney against Morgan State Thursday afternoon in Ormond Beach, Fla.

Christopher Newport’s softball team received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament to make the tournament for the fifth straight season.

The Lady Captains (31-10) face Virginia Wesleyan in the first round of an eight-team, double-elimination regional tournament Thursday in Salisbury, Md. CNU lost in the USA South Tournament final on April 17 and hasn’t had a game since.

Junior Margaret Farris (King’s Fork) plays first base for CNU. Farris has played in 28 games this season, scoring six runs and having a .982 fielding percentage.

Former Nansemond River pitcher Rachel Hawks earned regional Pitcher of the Year honors for Patrick Henry Community College as the Lady Patriots won the Region X season title for the first time in the softball program’s three-year history.

Hawks, a freshman, went 24-6 with a 1.28 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 186 innings pitched for the Lady Patriots (36-10). Hawks threw two no-hitters this season.

Patrick Henry sophomore Jermaine Berry (Nansemond River) earned First Team Region X honors as the Patriot third baseman and third-place hitter.

Berry, who transferred to PHCC after a year at Norfolk State, hit .442 with four triples, 48 runs and 37 RBI.

Patrick Henry (32-14) is headed into the Region X Tournament starting Friday in Morehead City, N.C.