April 23, 2011
Complete Results
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -
Western Carolina track & field teams both jumped up one spot to finish second in the overall standings of the 2011 SoCon Outdoor Track & Field Championship which took place on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Appalachian State took both overall titles. Western Carolina's Zakiyyah Stewart Bryant and Cordell Livingston both came away with the individual top honors of Most Outstanding Athlete. Additionally, junior, Felisha Garren was named Most Outstanding Track Performer while Aaron Tribble earned Freshman of the Year.
Senior Zakiyyah Stewart Bryant capped an outstanding senior campaign on Saturday. The Hickory, N.C.-native picked up another individual title in the discus and also placed third in the shot put and sixth in the high jump. Her throw - 143-6 - in the discus was six inches farther than the second place throw of Appalachian State's Gayshawna Watkins. All told, Stewart Bryant earned 29 total points and two titles - the hammer and the discus.
Sophomore Cordell Livingston tacked on more honors to his already stellar resume. Already earning the Most Outstanding Athlete for the 2011 indoor season, the Hickory,N.C.-native earned the honor again in the outdoor season by adding three individual titles and 30 points to the Catamount cause. The first title for Livingston came in the men's triple jump.
The men's triple jump proved to be a key event for the Catamounts. WCU picked up five of the top six positions in the event, led by Livingston's best jump of 49-00.25 (14.94m). That jump was a personal best for the sophomore. Livingston was followed by Cornelius Williams in second place, Bob McNeil in fourth, Lawren Willard in fifth and freshman Justin Strickland in sixth. All told, the Catamounts picked up 30 points from the men's triple jump.
Livingston then proceeded to pick up wins in both hurdle events, the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. Livingston ran a personal best 14.46 in the 110. Also pointing for the Catamounts in the 110-meter hurdles was junior Jordan Blazer who earned third place with a run of 14.60 and sophomore Tyler Bentley who finished sixth with a time of 15.28.
The men's 400-meter dash also was an important event for WCU. The Catamounts picked up five of the top eight finishes in the event. Freshman Aaron Tribble led WCU with a second-place finish with a time of 47.53. Benny Davis finished third in 48.75 and Brandon Hairston placed fourth with a time of 48.97.
In the 800-meter run, reliable senior Drew Tucker picked up the victory with a time of 1:51.33. That time was a personal best.
On the women's side, senior Nicole Okolo picked up a win in her last collegiate 100-meter hurdles race. The Lawrenceville, Ga.-native - who set a new school record in the event with a time of 13.66 - ran a 13.73 on Saturday.
Junior Felisha Garren earned two top-two finishes on Saturday, winning the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 53.99. The junior also set another personal best in the 200-meter dash - earning second place - with senior Felicia Paulding placing third with a time of 24.39.
Paulding - the school record holder in the 100-meter dash - crossed the line in third place with a time of 12.00 in her last collegiate 100-meter dash. Sophomore Raven Parrish and Janise Robinson both notched personal bests in the event, with Parrish running a 12.08 and Robinson a 12.21, respectively.
The Catamounts fared well in the relays Saturday with the women's 4x100-meter relay team and the men's 4x400-meter relay teams picking up victories. The women's 4x400-meter relay team and the men's 4x100-meter relay teams finished second. In the men's 200-meter dash, sophomore Brandon Hairston ran a season-best 21.16, earning him second-place in the event. Freshman Aaron Tribble and junior Benny Davis received points as well, placing fifth and seventh.
Sophomore Morgan Turner was able to cut six seconds off of her previous best to earn fourth place in the women's 1500-meter run.
Luke Burton earned third place in the decathlon, while junior Jamie Van Pelt earned a third place finish in the discus with a best throw of 151-9.
In the women's pole vault, senior Kassie McKie placed second with a vault of 12-1.50. Sophomore Ashley Wala placed sixth a best of 11-1.75.
Aside from the top individual awards earned by Catamount student-athletes, WCU also placed twenty student-athletes earned SoCon All-Freshmen honors.
Men's Team Results - Top Three
- Appalachian State 256 points
- Western Carolina 218.5 points
- Samford 138.5 points
Women's Team Results - Top Three
- Appalachian State 195 points
- Western Carolina 138 points
- Elon 135 points
