The Virginia Union University women's cross-country team competed in the Queen City Invitational on Saturday, September 12, in Charlotte, N.C.

The Lady Panthers continued to show progress as five VUU runners opened the 5K race with times of 22 minutes or faster, marking what may be the first time in Virginia Union cross-country history that five women's runners accomplished the feat in the same race.

The performance highlighted the continued development of the Lady Panthers and their preparation for the CIAA Championship Meet. VUU also remains in a strong position in the conference standings as the season progresses.

"Although our final team placement may not fully reflect the progress we are making, our ladies had a good meet," said VUU Head Cross-Country Coach Franck Charles. "As proud as I am of their performance, I am still not satisfied with the times. I know this team is capable of more, and I truly believe we will continue to get better as the season progresses."

Charles said the challenging competition the Lady Panthers have faced early in the season is part of the team's preparation for championship competition.

"The past two meets have presented some tough challenges, but those challenges are intentional," Charles said. "As a coach, if we want to improve and position ourselves to compete for a championship, we must put our athletes in a position to compete against the best. You have to compete against the best to become the best."

The Lady Panthers will face another strong field when they compete in the CNU Invitational on Friday, September 18, in Newport News, Va.

"Each meet is another opportunity to grow, improve, and prepare for our ultimate goal, the CIAA Championship Meet," Charles said. "We are proud of the progress our team is making, but we are not done yet. Keep working, keep believing, and keep pushing one another. The best is yet to come!"