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2015 Southern Conference Championships Day One Results 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Western Carolina University men's and women's track & field teams are both in good positions at the end of day one at the 2015 Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala. Both squads are looking to repeat as champions after sweeping the 2014 titles. The women sit in first after day one with a 34 point advantage over second place Samford while the men trail first place Samford by just 10 points.

The women qualified 18 competitors for Saturday finals in the six preliminary events on Friday while second place Samford has just nine competitors in those finals. On the men's side WCU qualified 21 competitors in the preliminaries while first place Samford has just five.

The women saw four individual champions crowned on day one including senior Michaela Birek in the pentathlon, senior Alisha Bradshaw in the shot put, senior Xaviera Bass in the high jump and sophomore Tiffani Lewis in the long jump.

The men had one individual champion crowned in the form of freshman Brenden Caldwell who won the long jump in his first Southern Conference Championship event.

Birek was the first champion crowned at the meet as she won the pentathlon with a score of 3,511 points. Senior Anne Greer (3,154) and junior Holly Gaines (3,099) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to gain valuable team points. Birek finished 159 points of the second-place finisher. She won the long jump and the shot put portions of the event as she claimed the overall title.

Bradshaw and sophomore Hailey Cook finished first and second in the women's shot put. Bradshaw posted a school record throw of 15.04m (49-04.25) while Cook stopped the tape at 14.51m (47-07.25). Freshman Alisha Blackmon (12.44m (40-09.75)) and junior Jasmin Brown (12.21m (40-00.75)) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Caldwell led a quartet of Catamount scorers in the long jump. Caldwell won the event with a leap of 6.89m (22-07.25). Finishing third overall was senior Abraham Faison who turned in a distance of 6.76m (22-02.25). Freshman Jordan Santana took home fifth-place honors with a jump of 6.75m (22-01.75) while junior David Johnson rounded out the scorers in eighth with a distance of 6.64m (21-09.50).

Lewis led five Catamounts to scoring positions in the long jump. She took the crown with a leap of 5.90m (19-04.25). Sophomore Chenell Bryan (5.52m (18-01.50)), Bass (5.47m (17-11.50)), Birek (5.43m (17-09.75)) and junior Molly Fagan (5.28m (17-04.00)) finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Three men picked up points in the pole vault. Redshirt freshman Thor Smith led the way in fourth with a height of 4.62m (15-01.75). Sophomore Dustin Tripplett finished tied for fifth with a vault of 4.42m (14-06.00) while junior Christian Carswell finished seventh at 4.27m (14-00.00). Carswell also sits third in the men's heptathlon with three events remaining. He trails first place by 140 points.

Bass, sophomore Anisia Starege and Fagan swept the podium in the women's high jump. Bass won with a height of 1.69m (5-06.50). Starege and Fagan each cleared the bar at 1.66m (5-05.25) but Starege was able to do it in fewer attempts to claim the second place finish.

Defending Southern Conference Most Outstanding Indoor Field Performer junior Jared Johnson finished second in the shot put with a toss of 15.76m (51-08.50) which marked a season best for the Catamounts. Sophomore Scott Peretin came in fourth after posting a distance of 15.01m (49-03.00).

Freshman Jaquell Bryant and Carswell finished third and fourth, respectively, in the men's high jump. Bryant and Carswell each cleared the bar at 1.93m (6-04.00) but Bryant took third due to fewer jumps.

The men's distance medley relay team consisting of junior Michael Cornwell, freshman Kaleb McEntyre, junior Jamie Bigby and sophomore JC Cornett took home third place honors with a time of 10:12.81 which was a season best for the Catamounts. The women's team of freshman Laney Browder, junior Michaela Williams, senior Lena Elliott and junior Aleshia Reese took home sixth in the women's distance medley relay with a season best time of 12:34.70.

The championships will conclude tomorrow night. Fans can follow all the action on the SoCon Digital Network or through live stats on CatamountSports.com.

All-Southern Conference Performers (Women)
Xaviera Bass, high jump champion
Michaela Birek, pentathlon champion
Alisha Bradshaw, shot put champion
Hailey Cook, shot put second
Molly Fagan, high jump third
Tiffani Lewis, long jump champion
Anisia Starege, high jump second

All-Southern Conference Performers (Men)
Jamie Bigby, distance medley relay third
Jaquell Bryant, high jump third
Brenden Caldwell, long jump champion
JC Cornett, distance medley relay third
Michael Cornwell, distance medley relay third
Abraham Faison, long jump third
Jared Johnson, shot put second
Kaleb McEntyre, distance medley relay third