Voorhees, Wilberforce take home Week 5 HBCUAC Men's Track & Field Honors

Voorhees and Wilberforce impressed in Week 5.

April 14, 2026

NEW ORLEANS - Voorhees University sprinter Zaireon Skinner wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Men's Track and Field Track Athlete and Freshman of the Week. Jaylen Burris claims Field Athlete of the Week. Wilberforce University's Kendrick Sherrer earns Newcomer of the Week. They were honored for their performance between April 6-12, the conference announced on Tuesday.

Skinner posted an NAIA National Championship qualifying time in the 200-meter dash. His time of 20.73 surpassed the 'A' qualifying standard and topped the 30 athlete field at the Trojan Relays.

Burris posted a national championship qualifying mark in the long jump. His leap of 7.78 meters surpassed the 'A' qualifying standard and topped the 25-athlete field at the Trojan Relays.

Sherrer won the 200-meter dash at the Northeast Ohio Open, competing exclusively against NCAA Division I and Division II athletes. His time of 21.51 was 0.38 seconds from the 'B' qualifying standard. He also had a podium finish in the 100-meter dash.

Additional men's track and field weekly nominees: Mgdie Ali (Fisk), Kaden Andrus (Rust), Kemal Benjamin (Rust), Dwight Bennett (Wiley), Kentrell Bonner (Stillman), Jaden Cole (Wiley), Nigel Davis (Wiley), Katavious Gibbs (Philander Smith), Jaden Jackson (Philander Smith), Jerome Malone (Fisk), Stephan Mitchell (Voorhees), Jamaal Morris Jr. (Dillard), Elijah Williams (Dillard), Lance Williams (Dillard)

2026 HBCUAC Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week

Date	Track	Field	Freshman	Newcomer
March 9-15	Ronald Garrett, Wiley	Carey Owens, Stillman	Denim Charles, Dillard	Jai Harden, Wiley
March 16-22	Surprise Babalola, Dillard	Jayden Burris, Voorhees	DeAndre Jones, Voorhees	N/A
March 23-29	Surprise Babalola, Dillard	Kemal Benjamin, Rust	Romel Collins, Dillard	John Russell Jr., Wiley
March 30-April 5	Ronald Garrett, Wiley	DeAndre Jones, Voorhees	DeAndre Jones, Voorhees	Jai Harden, Wiley
April 6-12	Zaireon Skinner, Voorhees	Jaylen Burris, Voorhees	Zaireon Skinner, Voorhees	Kendrick Sherrer, Wilberforce

About the HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.