faison - socon 2026

Women's Track and Field

Women’s track takes seventh at SoCon Outdoor Championships

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Behind an individual title from Morgan Fraser and two other All-Conference finishes by Naturale Faison and Reagan Gilman, the VMI women's track and field team earned a seventh-place finish at the 2026 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
 
Complete Results
 
Host Western Carolina won the team title to break Samford's six-year reign as league champions as the Catamounts totaled 182.5 points to edge Samford's 175.5.  Wofford came in third with 137 points followed by Furman (110), ETSU (80.5) and Mercer (46) just ahead of VMI's 37 points.
 
Fraser placed first in the high jump with a personal-best height of 1.68 meters (5' 6"), which tied for the second-best height in program history. The first Keydet in program history to win the high jump, the Alexandria, Virginia native broke her former personal best of 5' 5.5" from last season to tie Trish Coughlin's (2005) and Julia Logan (2017) who also hit that mark. Her individual title also earned her All-Conference honors for the event.
 
Faison came in second in the 100 meter finals with a time of 11.78 seconds to achieve All-SoCon accolades, while fellow sophomore Reagan Gilman earned All-Conference in the 800m finals by placing third in 2:08.41, just one second behind her own school record time of 2:07.67 set three weeks ago at the UVA Challenge.
 
Excellent Finishes
*Sophomore Ruth Dickersheid came in fifth in the shot put with a new personal-best distance of 41' 11.50", the sixth best shot put distance in program history. Diamond Baker came in ninth place in the shot with a distance of 12.40m (40' 8.25"), the seventh-best shot put in program history. Her distance became the seventh-best shot put in program history as both topped Maura Logan's mark of 40' 7" set in 2019.
*The 4x400 relay squad of Miracle Eric, Heaven Hall, Evelyn Anderson and Reagan Gilman came in fifth in 3:56.41
*Faison also competed in the 200m finals with a sixth-place time of 24.56 seconds
*Senior Shea Hart finished eighth in the 400m hurdles finals in 1:06.09  
*Genevieve Cummings came in ninth in the high jump at 1.58 meters
*Diamond Baker logged a 17th-place finish in the discus at 29.39 meters, a new season best
 
VMI Director of Track and Field Zack Scott
"Day two was a tremendous finish for our women's team and a great reflection of the work this group has put in all season. Morgan Fraser delivered a championship performance in the high jump with a personal best to earn the SoCon title, and that was a huge moment for our program. Ruthie Dickersheid also had an outstanding meet, coming back after her hammer throw breakthrough on day one to hit another personal best in the shot put. Reagan Gilman finishing third in the 800m was a huge lift for our team.  Across the board, our women competed with confidence, toughness, and belief in each other, and I'm incredibly proud of the way they represented VMI throughout the championship."
 
 
 
Team Scores
1. Western Carolina - 182.5 - broke Samford's 6-year reign as champs
2. Samford - 175.5
3. Wofford - 137
4. Furman - 110
5. ETSU - 80.5
6. Mercer - 46
7. VMI - 37
8. Chattanooga - 24.5
9. The Citadel - 10
10. UNCG - 6
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Evelyn Anderson

Evelyn Anderson

Distance/Mid Distance
Sophomore
Diamond Baker

Diamond Baker

Throws
Junior
Morgan Fraser

Morgan Fraser

Jumps
Sophomore
Heaven Hall

Heaven Hall

Sprints
Junior
Shea Hart

Shea Hart

Hurdles
Junior
Reagan Gilman

Reagan Gilman

Distance
Freshman
Ruth Dickersheid

Ruth Dickersheid

Throws
Freshman
Miracle Eric

Miracle Eric

Sprints
Freshman
Naturale Faison

Naturale Faison

Sprints
Freshman
Genevieve Cummings

Genevieve Cummings

Jumps
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Evelyn Anderson

Evelyn Anderson

Sophomore
Distance/Mid Distance
Diamond Baker

Diamond Baker

Junior
Throws
Morgan Fraser

Morgan Fraser

Sophomore
Jumps
Heaven Hall

Heaven Hall

Junior
Sprints
Shea Hart

Shea Hart

Junior
Hurdles
Reagan Gilman

Reagan Gilman

Freshman
Distance
Ruth Dickersheid

Ruth Dickersheid

Freshman
Throws
Miracle Eric

Miracle Eric

Freshman
Sprints
Naturale Faison

Naturale Faison

Freshman
Sprints
Genevieve Cummings

Genevieve Cummings

Freshman
Jumps