Harrisburg native and Central Methodist University junior Brayton Stephenson captured his second national championship of the year, winning the men’s shot put title at the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, held last weekend at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Stephenson secured the national crown with a throw of 18.47 meters on his second attempt during Friday’s finals. The mark not only earned him the gold medal but also set a new school record for Central Methodist.

The outdoor title adds to Stephenson’s dominant 2025 season. In March, he won the NAIA Indoor National Championship in Gainesville, Fla., also in the shot put.

Central Methodist sent 16 athletes to the national meet, including Logan Bass (400m hurdles), Hunter Mont Cary and Ethan Smith (decathlon), Colder Evans (shot put, discus, hammer throw), Hugo Massa (800m), Harvey Sayon (high jump), Azaan Stoughtenborough (triple jump), and Leroy Williams (110m hurdles).

Stephenson was joined in the shot put by teammate Colder Evans, who placed 12th with a mark of 16.43 meters. Evans also finished 10th in the discus (48.10m) and 18th in the hammer throw (54.18m).

In the decathlon, Smith placed ninth overall with 6,301 points, buoyed by a third-place finish in the shot put segment. Cary took 13th with 6,082 points, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles and fourth in the 400m dash.

The championship meet also marked the national debut for Harvey Sayon in the high jump and Azaan Stoughtenborough in the triple jump. Stoughtenborough placed 20th with a leap of 13.95 meters, while Sayon did not post a mark.

In the running events, Bass finished 17th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 54.43 seconds, and Williams took 12th in the 110m hurdles after running 14.64 seconds in prelims.

Neither relay teams qualified for the finals. The 4x100m team of Adam Trachsel, Sam Thomas, Williams, and Charles Young placed 23rd in the prelims with a time of 41.69 seconds. The 4x800-meter team, comprised of Jacchaeus Taylor, Doriye Jackson, David Leon, and Massa, finished 23rd, clocking a time of 7:56.00.

As a team, Central Methodist scored 10 points, tying for 26th place in the final standings.