NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its 2024 Hall of Fame induction class on Tuesday afternoon, featuring six individuals and one historic team.
Charlotte Armstead (volleyball), Michael Deloach (men’s basketball), David Kemboi (cross country/track & field), Juan Serrano(baseball), Nat Warren (tennis), and Shirley Whitaker (administrator) make up the six individual members of the 2024 class. The 2011-12 championship-winning Norfolk State men’s basketball team also earned the recognition.
“I am immensely proud to congratulate the 2024 inductees of the Norfolk State University Athletic Hall of Fame,” NSU Director of Athletics Melody Webb said. “Each of these remarkable individuals has left an indelible mark on our athletic program through their exceptional achievements, dedication, and sportsmanship. Their contributions have not only elevated Norfolk State Athletics but have also inspired future generations of student-athletes. Our theme this year is ‘Spartan Legacy: Celebrating an Era of Excellence’ which could not be more fitting as we celebrate their legacy and commend their outstanding accomplishments. Congratulations to all the inductees on this well-deserved honor!”
The induction ceremony will be held at Hilton Norfolk’s The Main on Sep. 6, the evening before the Norfolk State football team’s home opener against Virginia State. Tickets for the event will go on sale at a later date.
Charlotte Armstead, a four-year letterwinner on the Norfolk State volleyball team, etched her name throughout the school record books with remarkable athleticism and unmistakable power. The program’s all-time kills leader (1,177), she also holds career records for solo blocks (211), total blocks (264), points (1,399.5), and sets played (445).
A first-team all-state selection (2012) and two-time All-MEAC honoree (2010, ’12), Armstead displayed as much discipline in the classroom as she did on the court. In addition to being named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, she landed on the MEAC All-Academic Team for each of her final three years of competition.
Michael Deloach left his mark on the Norfolk State men’s basketball team as the program’s leading scorer of its Division I era. Accumulating 1,796 points across a decorated career, he earned All-MEAC first team honors twice and one MEAC All-Tournament Team selection.
Averaging 21.5 points per game as a junior and 21.7 as a senior, Deloach scored a career high of 37 points at North Carolina A&T on Mar. 3, 2010. The 6-0 guard produced his numbers with extreme efficiency, shooting 50.2 percent from the floor in his final campaign.
David Kemboi spent just two years at Norfolk State but left an unparalleled legacy during that window. Winning MVP honors at all four MEAC running events he competed in from 2005-07, his 8k time of 23:30 in 2005 still stands as the top time in the conference’s cross-country history.
In the fall of 2006, Kemboi repeated as MEAC cross country champion to lead NSU to another team title. That season, he made history by becoming the first MEAC athlete to ever earn qualification to the NCAA National Cross-Country Championships. He was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Juan Serrano established himself as a dominant hitter from the beginning of his career, becoming the program’s only MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2004. He is also the program’s only three-time All-MEAC first team selection (2004, ’05, and ’07).
Playing third base during his final three seasons, Serrano posted a .370 batting average as a sophomore, before an injury-plagued junior year. He bounced right back as a senior, producing six home runs with a .362 batting average and .556 slugging percentage.
Nat Warren spearheaded the Norfolk State tennis program as the team’s first head coach. He guided the Spartans across multiple levels, keeping the program steady while transitioning from Division II to Division I.
Warren was named the CIAA Coach of the Year in 1994, before leading the Spartan men to back-to-back CIAA title in 1996 and 1997. He retired from his head coaching role in 2009 with a 402-216 record (.615 winning percentage). Earlier this year, Norfolk State officially renamed the NSU Tennis Complex to the “Nat Warren Tennis Center” in his honor.
Shirley Whitaker served as a staff member with the Norfolk State Athletics Department for nearly 40 years before her retirement in 2010, holding the title of administrative and program specialist. Hired under then-athletics director William Archie, she also assisted succeeding athletics directors Willard Bailey, William “Dick” Price, Orby Moss, and Marty Miller.
Whitaker’s duties covered a variety of specialized areas, including administrative, technical, and compliance support for the athletics department. She also assisted with the department’s various community outreach initiatives.
The Norfolk State men’s basketball team shocked the world on Mar. 16, 2012, when the No. 15 seed Spartans conquered No. 2 seed Missouri 86-84 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The win marked Norfolk State’s first in the Division I NCAA Tournament, and just the fifth 15-over-2 seed upset in the events history.
The Spartans finished the season with a 26-10 record, going 13-3 in MEAC play. The program secured its first-ever MEAC Tournament title just a few weeks prior to the historic win against Missouri, taking down Bethune-Cookman 73-70 behind 18 points from Kyle O’Quinn and 17 points from Pendarvis Williams.
Led by head coach Anthony Evans, the following student-athletes made up the 2011-12 Norfolk State men’s basketball roster: O’Quinn, Williams, Rob Johnson, Kievyn Lila-St. Rose, Jamel Fuentes, Winston Graham, Quasim Pugh, Rodney McCauley, Reggie Revels, Jordan Weathers, Kris Brown, Brandon Goode, Brandon Wheeless, Riley Maye, Marcos Tamares, Chris McEachin, and A.J. Rogers.
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