"I am incredibly proud of Antonio," said VUU Head Track & Field Coach Franck Charles.  "This young man has worked tirelessly to reach the national stage. I still remember his first few words to me when he arrived: "Coach, I want to break the school record." From that moment on, he has put in the work to achieve his goal."

Now, he holds the school record in the 60m hurdles and is heading to nationals. That's an incredible accomplishment and he is a freshman! I hope everyone understands just how difficult it is to make it this far.

Antonio is currently ranked 17th in all of Division II, and now he has the opportunity to compete on an even bigger stage and make history once again by bringing home the title and becoming an All-American.

The last time Virginia Union University had a 60m hurdler qualify for nationals was back in 2010 with Melvin Edison. 

Out of the entire 2025 national list, only two freshmen made it—Antonio Smith is one of them.

Well, done Antonio! We are all very proud of you!!