LEXINGTON, Va. - The Western Carolina men's track & field team continued its historic run as the Catamounts captured their fifth-straight Southern Conference Indoor Championship Sunday afternoon in Lexington, Va., downing second place Samford by just three points. The women came up just short of winning their third title in the last five years as they fell to Samford by 11 points, an improvement of 45.5 points over last season's deficit. The championship is the second under second year head coach Cale McDaniel who served as an assistant coach for many WCU championships in the past.

The men took two individual championships on day two and also won the 4x400m team championship. Junior Dakota Wright earned the Men's Pinnacle Award for the highest GPA on the championship winning team.

The women earned three individual championships on day two and one relay title. Graduate transfer Ty-Leah Hampton led the way as she broke a school record, tied another school mark and won a pair of individual championships. She also was a member of the 4x400m team championship.

Hampton broke the Western Carolina program record in the women's 200m while tying the record in the 60m as she claimed a pair of individual championships. Hampton won the 200m with a record setting time of 24.07 which bested former Catamount Tayla Carter's record of 24.15 set at the 2016 Southern Conference Championships. In the women's 60m Hampton raced down the track in 7.43 to tie Carter who achieved the same time on four different occasions throughout her career including the 2013 and 2016 Southern Conference Championships. The time earned Hampton the individual title and 10 points towards the team total. Junior Mia Little also earned points for WCU in the 60m as she finished fifth after crossing the line in 7.67. Junior Dasha Arnaut took seventh in the 200m to pick up two points as well, as she clocked in at 24.96.

Seniors Henry Kiedi and Dakota Lamont took the top two spots in the men's 400m while junior Miles Greer finished just off the podium in fourth to earn 23 points towards the team total. Kiedi led the way with a time of 48.29 while Lamont finished just behind at 48.34. Greer was just a half second behind third place in 49.55 as he edged fifth place by one-one thousandth of a second.

Freshman Autumn James led a group of five Catamounts in the top-eight of the women's triple jump. The rookie earned her first Southern Conference crown with a jump of 12.02m (39-05.25) to earn 10 points towards the team score. Overall WCU picked up 25 points in the triple jump. Freshman Makaila McIntyre earned her first podium finish as she took third after touching down at 11.92m (39-01.25). Junior Tamilia Wright and sophomores Jazmine Gooden and Jada Woods finished fifth through seventh for WCU. Wright stopped the tape at 11.72m (38-05.50) while Gooden and Woods came in at 11.53m (37-10.00) and 11.51m (37-09.25), respectively.

Senior Kevin Hires earned an individual championship in the men's triple jump as he leapt 14.94m (49-00.25) to best the field by nearly a foot. Sophomore Dijoun Huitt finished just off the podium in fourth with a mark of 14.06m (46-01.50) while sophomore Nicholas Lyons (13.88m (45-06.50)) and junior Nick Lawson (13.30m (43-07.75)) finished sixth and eighth, respectively. The quartet picked up 19 points for the Catamounts.

The men's 4x400m squad consisting of Henry, sophomore Devaniel Dale, senior Keion Crossen and Lamont teamed up to win the event with a time of 3:15.77. The women also won the 4x400m relay as sophomore Kellsie Whitehead, senior Sally Woerner, Arnaut and Hampton came together to post a time of 3:46.71 which set a new facility record.

Arnaut and Whitehead finished second and third in the women's 400m. Arnaut crossed the line in 56.15 while Whitehead came in just six tenths of a second behind at 56.74. The two finishes combined to give WCU 14 points towards the team total.

Five Catamounts placed within the top eight of the men's weight throw as WCU picked up 17 points in the event. Junior Dakota Wright led the way with a third place finish as he tossed the element 17.88m (58-08.25). Junior Chase Stehling came in just behind Wright in fourth as he turned in a toss of 17.46m (57-03.75). The next three Catamounts finished sixth through eighth. Sophomore Daryn Hughes took sixth with a mark of 16.37m (53-08.75) while senior Mateius Brown claimed seventh with a mark of 15.95m (52-04.25). The final scorer for WCU was freshman Jay Stanley whose distance of 15.45m (50-08.50) earned him eighth in the event.

Crossen finished on the podium in the men's 60m as he raced down the track in 6.79 to earn six points for the team cause with a second place finish. Crossen also finished on the podium in the 200m as he finished third with a time of 21.73. Dale and Lamont took fifth and sixth, respectively. Dale stopped the clock at 21.88 while Lamont crossed the line in 21.89. The final scorer in the event was Kiedi who took eighth after crossing the line in 22.49. Overall, WCU took 14 points in the event.

Freshman Jaelyn Warren took third in the women's high jump to lead three Catamounts in the top-eight. Warren cleared 1.65m (5-05.00) to earn a podium finish while juniors Ashley Parker and Marisa Scott finished fifth and tied for sixth, respectively. Both cleared 1.60m (5-03.00) but Parker was able to achieve the height in fewer attempts. Overall the trio earned 12.5 points for WCU.

Junior Simone Williams and senior Alisha Blackmon finished third and fifth, respectively, in the women's weight throw. Williams stopped the tape at 17.02m (55-10.25) while Blackmon measured in at 16.63m (54-07.00). The duo earned 10 total points.

The men earned nine points in the 60m hurdles as freshman Mike Jones, junior Devyn Montel Jones and sophomore J'len Wilson finished fifth through seventh. M. Jones crossed the line in 8.33 followed by D. Jones at 8.38 and Wilson in 8.40.

Arnaut picked up four points for the women's team in the 60m hurdles as she placed fifth with a time of 8.93.

Senior Corey Ginley earned three points in the final event of the day, the men's pole vault, as he helped keep Samford at bay. The senior took sixth in the event after topping 4.55m (14-11.00) on his third attempt.

Junior Christina Nikolaou earned two points for WCU as she finished seventh in the 800m with a time of 2:21.15.

Freshman Matthew Mudd took eighth in the men's heptathlon with 4,261 points to earn one team point. The rookie earned his most points in the 60m where he picked up 765.

All-Southern Conference Performers (Women)
Dasha Arnaut, 4x400m champion, 400m second
Alisha Blackmon, shot put second
Kinley Drummonds, pole vault third
Ty-Leah Hampton, 60m champion, 200m champion, 4x400m champion
Autumn James, triple jump champion
Makaila McIntyre, triple jump third
Jaelyn Warren, high jump third
Kellsie Whitehead, 4x400m champion, 400m third
Simone Williams, shot put champion, weight throw third
Sally Woerner, 4x400m champion

All-Southern Conference Performers (Men)
Mateius Brown, shot put champion
Keion Crossen, 4x400m champion, 200m second, 60m third
Devaniel Dale, 4x400m champion
Kevin Hires, triple jump champion
Henry Kiedi, 400m champion, 4x400m champion
Dakota Lamont, 4x400m champion, 400m second
Dakota Wright, weight throw third

All-Freshman Performers (Women)
Kinley Drummonds, pole vault
Autumn James, pentathlon, triple jump, high jump
Makaila McIntyre, long jump, triple jump, 60m
Jaelyn Warren, 60m hurdles, high jump
Erin Willard, long jump

All-Freshman Performers (Men)
Mac Bennett, shot put, weight throw
Mike Jones, 60m hurdles
Matthew Mudd, triple jump, heptathlon
Khadevis Snead, high jump
Jay Stanley, shot put, weight throw

Women's results -- Final
1. Samford -- 161 points
2. Western Carolina -- 150
3. Furman -- 107
4. ETSU -- 103
5. Wofford -- 67
6. VMI -- 48
7. The Citadel -- 16
8. Chattanooga -- 6
9. UNCG -- 4

Men's results -- Final
1. Western Carolina -- 141 points
2. Samford -- 138
3. ETSU -- 111
4. Furman -- 92
5. The Citadel -- 66
6. Wofford -- 62
7. VMI -- 48
8. UNCG -- 4