The Virginia Union University men's cross-country team opened its 2026 season Saturday by competing in the Spider Alumni Open, hosted by the University of Richmond at Pole Green Park.

The Panthers finished 12th overall in the men's 6K competition, which featured 14 teams in the final team standings, including several NCAA Division I programs.

Freshman Marcus Merritt II led the Panthers with an impressive performance, finishing 64th overall in a time of 20:49.3. Merritt's time set a new Virginia Union school record in the men's 6K.

Merritt was followed by Keon Koonce, who placed 77th with a time of 21:28.2. The Panthers also received scoring performances from their remaining four runners, with Virginia Union posting a team score of 347.

"The first meet of the year went very well," said VUU Head Cross-Country Coach Franck Charles. "We are looking forward to a good season ahead. Congratulations to all of our men's team members who went out there yesterday and competed against some of the best teams. We still have a lot to work on and fix throughout the season; we will get it right!

"A huge congratulations to our freshman, Marcus Merritt II, who went out there and made history by breaking our school's 6K record with an outstanding time of 20:49!"

The Spider Alumni Open marked the first competition of the 2026 season for the Panthers as they begin their preparation for the remainder of the cross-country campaign.

VUU will now travel to Charlotte, N.C., to compete in the Queen City Invite, hosted by Queen's University of Charlotte, on Friday, September 11.