RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Union University women's track and field team continued its steady improvement with several strong performances at the NSU Invitational, highlighted by personal records, a school record, and multiple top-five finishes.

"Our women's team continues to show strong progress, starting with a solid showing in the field events," said VUU Track & Field Head Coach Franck Charles. "The ladies competed with great effort and determination across all throwing events, setting the tone early for the meet."

Leading the way in the throws was Kortni Searles, who delivered an outstanding all-around performance. Searles placed second in the discus with a personal-best throw of 38.53 meters and added another runner-up finish in the hammer throw with a personal-best mark of 43.75 meters. She also finished fourth in the shot put with a season-best throw of 11.65 meters.

Jadah Pringle also contributed in the throws, earning a fifth-place finish in the shot put.

On the track, senior sprinter Christal Rolack continued to lead by example, with a record-breaking performance. Rolack broke her own school record in the 200 meters with a time of 24.61 seconds, finishing fourth overall. She also placed fourth in the 100 meters with a season-best time of 11.86 seconds.

Virginia Union dominated the 5,000 meters distance event, led by Natalie Young, who captured first place. Teammate Abijah Jepkemboi followed closely with a strong second-place finish.

Another highlight came in the 1,500 meters, where Toni Middlebrooks set a new Virginia Union school record with a time of 5:04 in her first time competing in the event, finishing third overall.

In the jumps, Taylor Porter placed fourth overall in the long jump with a personal-best mark of 5.28 meters.

"Overall, this was another step forward for our women's program," Charles said. "The growth, effort, and competitiveness this team continues to show is exactly what we're building on. We're proud of the progress and excited to see how the ladies perform at the next meet. The goal remains the same — keep improving, keep competing, and keep elevating the program."

Virginia Union will return to competition at the JMU Invitational, scheduled for Saturday, April 11, at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.