Virginia Union University made history at the CIAA Men’s Track & Field Championship by sweeping both the shot put and discus throw for the first time, taking first, second and third place in each event. The landmark achievement capped a season in which the Panthers broke more than 10 school records, signaling major growth for the program.

VUU finished second overall at the championship meet, improving on last year’s third-place finish.

Zachary Jones led the Panthers with a standout all-around performance. He claimed first place in both the shot put and discus throw, added a fifth-place finish in the javelin, and emerged as the highest individual scorer at the championship with 23 points.

Franklin Kipchirchir also had a strong showing, winning the 5,000m run in 15:08.77 and placing second in the 1,500m run. Dequan Boone finished second in the shot put, while Jabari Wilson took second in the discus with a personal-best mark of 46.38 meters.

Mychael Tucker secured second in the 400 meters and fifth in the 200 meters. Rodgers Korir finished second in the 5,000 meters and third in the 1,500. Carson Calhoun placed third in the high jump with a best mark of 2.04 meters.

Tajhir Tate earned third in the shot put with a season-best throw of 15.06 meters, while Timothy Butler rounded out the discus sweep in third place.

Additional top-five finishes included Jeremiah Palacious, who placed fifth in the long jump; Javelin Pinnock, who finished fifth in the triple

jump; and Chase Burke, who took fifth in both the 400 and 800 meters.

The 4x400m relay team of Darryl Wilson Jr., Tucker, Jeremiah Brown and Burke placed third and set a new school record with a time of 3:14.56.

The 4x100m relay team—Wilson Jr., Palacious, Elijah Steele and Brown— finished fourth overall.

Head Track & Field Coach Franck Charles praised his team’s perseverance and progress throughout the season, despite several challenges.

“I want to start by congratulating all of our student-athletes and coaches for the amazing work they’ve put in throughout the season,” Charles said. “We fell just short of our ultimate goal, but that doesn’t take away from the incredible progress we’ve made as a program.

Despite losing two of our top student-athletes from last year and facing multiple injuries—including a serious one to Antonio Smith on day one—our team showed heart, depth and resilience.”