On a warm afternoon at the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, two brothers from Baltimore raced side by side on one of college track’s biggest stages.
When the men’s 110-meter hurdles final ended, University of Iowa senior Vaughn DeVaughn III crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 13.43 seconds. Just behind him was University of Maryland freshman Justin DeVaughn, who finished fourth in 13.47.
Only four hundredths of a second separated them.
For the DeVaughns, the race was about more than conference medals. It was the latest chapter in a family story rooted in track & field and years of competing together.
“We’ve been competing all our lives,” Vaughn said. “We always try to outwork each other to our best abilities and watch each other succeed.”
Vaughn DeVaughn Jr., father of Justin and Vaughn DeVaughn III, said that he and his wife Terria DeVaughn met while competing on the track team at Coppin State University. What started as a shared passion eventually became a family tradition. The DeVaughn brothers said that while growing up, track was a family affair.
“Track and field has always been family time for us,” said Vaughn DeVaughn Jr., who has spent 24 years teaching in Baltimore City schools and serves as the track coach at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, also known as Mervo. “When they were growing up, Justin was always challenging his big brother and saying, ‘I’m gonna beat you, I’m going to beat you.’ And Vaughn would just kind of smile off, you know, being the big brother.”
Today, the DeVaughn family said, nearly every member of the family participates in the sport in some form. Their sister, Dominique, competes at the Division I level for Towson University. Younger brother Xavier is emerging as the next standout athlete.
Both brothers attended Mervo, where their father coached them throughout their high school careers. Vaughn became one of Maryland’s most decorated athletes, winning multiple state championships and earning Maryland Male Athlete of the Year honors in 2022. He also helped lead Mervo’s football team to a state title.
Justin developed into one of Baltimore City’s top athletes as well, eventually earning Baltimore City Athlete of the Year recognition.
Having their father as both coach and teacher created unique challenges and opportunities.
“At the end of every year, I go to my children and I say, ‘Thank you for allowing me to coach,’” DeVaughn Jr. said. “I have high expectations for all of my student-athletes, but for them, I really have high expectations.”
For Justin, those years provided constant guidance.
“It was always good to have my dad next to me,” Justin said. “I could always get the advice and coaching that I needed from him at any time.”
After high school, the brothers’ paths diverged.
Vaughn began his collegiate career at Alabama State University before transferring to Iowa. There, he established himself as one of the Hawkeyes’ top hurdlers and earned places among the program’s all-time top performers in the hurdles.
Justin stayed close to home, enrolling at Maryland while balancing both football and track. The transition to college competition required adjustments, particularly moving from 39-inch high school hurdles to the 42-inch hurdles used in college races.
Still, he adapted quickly.
As a freshman, Justin ran the second-fastest 110-meter hurdles time in Maryland history and became one of the few freshmen to qualify for the Big Ten final.
The brothers had already raced once earlier in the outdoor season at a meet in Orlando, where Vaughn claimed the victory. The Big Ten Championships provided another opportunity.
For Justin, the race became personal motivation.
“The only thing I’d seen was the hurdles and him,” Justin said. “I wasn’t really worried about nobody else in the race. I was racing my brother.”
Vaughn admitted he felt the same way.
As the race unfolded, he caught sight of Maryland’s red uniform closing from a neighboring lane.
“I was like, ‘Oh nah, he can’t beat me,’” Vaughn said. “I had to make sure he didn’t get that one.”
He held on for third place while Justin finished fourth, creating one of the most memorable family moments of the championship. The moment after the brothers crossed the finish line was captured online, where Justin and Vaughn can be seen dancing in celebration.
The race carried additional significance because it marked one of the final collegiate competitions of Vaughn’s career.
Their father watched the results from afar while continuing to coach younger athletes back in Baltimore. When videos and photos from the race began appearing online, emotions quickly followed.
“To see him and then have his brother right there with him, it made it even more special,” DeVaughn Jr. said. “It was a beautiful moment.”
For Baltimore, the race represented two hometown athletes excelling on a national stage. For the DeVaughns, it reflected years of family sacrifice, coaching, and support. And for one afternoon at the Big Ten Championships, two brothers were separated by nothing more than four hundredths of a second.
