Berfrantz Charles serves as the Associate Head Coach for Florida Tech’s men’s track program, joining the Panthers in October 2024.
In his first season with Florida Tech during the inaugural Sunshine State Conference track season, Charles made an immediate impact. He coached Filippo Bessi to Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year honors and guided him to the program’s first SSC title in the 400-meter hurdles. Under Charles’ leadership, the Panthers finished fifth at the inaugural SSC Outdoor Track Championships, with Bessi also earning top freshman honors at the meet.
Charles arrived at Florida Tech following eight seasons as an assistant track and field coach at Virginia Union University, where he specialized in sprints and jumps for both the men’s and women’s programs. During the 2023–24 season, he coached six outdoor and two indoor VaSID All-State selections, including a standout 400-meter relay team and sprinter Jalen Hinton, who earned First Team recognition.
Throughout his tenure at Virginia Union, Charles played a key role in developing high-level performers. He coached multiple CIAA Track and Field Players of the Week and helped guide Hinton to MVP honors at the CIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He also coached Charles Hall to a silver medal in the long jump at the CIAA Outdoor Championships and to NCAA All-Region honors during the 2019–20 season. Additionally, Jordan Pebbles earned CIAA Field Athlete of the Week recognition under his guidance following a triple jump victory at the Fred Hardy Invitational.
In his first season on staff, Charles contributed to the development of Atlantic Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year Ed’Treon Wilcox and CIAA Running Events Athlete of the Year Devin Simon. Along with CIAA long jump champion Chaz McKenzie, those performances helped lead the men’s team to third-place finishes at both the CIAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
A former standout student-athlete at Virginia Union, Charles competed for the Panthers from 2012 to 2015. He was a three-time CIAA champion in the long jump and a five-time CIAA Field MVP. Charles qualified for the NCAA Division II provisional mark eight times across four events, including the 60-meter dash and long jump during indoor seasons. He was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that earned First Team All-America honors during the 2014 outdoor season.
