The VMI women’s track and field team competed at the 2026 Big South-SoCon Challenge hosted by UNC Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina, according to a March 21 announcement.
The event marked the opening of the outdoor season for VMI as they faced off against Southern Conference rivals Wofford College and Western Carolina University, along with teams from the Big South. The meet provided an early test of form and depth for all participating squads.
Sophomore Naturale Faison led the VMI women’s team by winning both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, setting personal records of 11.85 seconds and 24.44 seconds respectively. Morgan Fraser placed third in the high jump with a mark of 1.60 meters, while freshman Genevieve Cummings finished fifth at 1.55 meters. Senior Shea Hart took fourth place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.56 seconds, just ahead of JeNiya White’s sixth-place finish and personal best of 14.65 seconds. White also secured fifth place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:08.51, and Miracle Eric finished tenth in the 400-meter dash with a new personal record of 59.03 seconds.
In team standings, Western Carolina led with 239 points, followed by Radford (109), Wofford (99.5), UNC Asheville (74), Winthrop (67), Gardner-Webb (46), and VMI finishing seventh with 41.5 points.
VMI Director of Track and Field Zack Scott said, “The outdoor season opened in impressive fashion as we competed against Southern Conference rivals Wofford College and Western Carolina University and our former friends from the Big South. Our team delivered a standout performance across the board, showing depth, determination and early-season form.” Scott added, “By the end of the meet, our efforts paid off—the SoCon captured the women’s team championship. It was a great result to kick off the season and set the tone for what’s ahead!”
Looking forward, VMI aims to build on this performance as they continue their outdoor campaign.
