CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina track & field teams recorded five individual event wins along with numerous personal bests on the second day of the Catamount Classic.
Marissa Blakely recorded her second individual win of the meet, claiming the women's 400-meter dash in 55.20, besting her previous personal best by nearly a full second. Blakely won the women's 200-meter dash on Friday.
Mikayla Turner finished 10
th in the 400m event with a time of 1:01.39.
Omare McBride earned her first collegiate win in the women's triple jump thanks to a mark of 11.93 meters (39'1.75").
Derica Currie was fourth, turning in a jump that measured 11.30 meters (37'1"), followed by
Erica O'Neal in sixth with a leap of 10.97 meters (36'0").
Victoria Solheim won the women's discus with a throw of 46.16 meters (151'5").
Taniyah Thomas placed seventh with a throw of 36.93 meters (121'2"). Later in the meet, Solheim added a fifth-place result in the shot put with a top throw of 12.53 meters (41'1.5").
Makaila McIntyre finished in second place in the women's 100-meter dash in 12.07. In the prelims, she ran the fastest time in a new personal best 11.99.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Blakely, McIntyre,
Nytrinitey Jenkins and
Kayla Smith opened the meet with a runner-up finish, completing the race in 47.10. The same four concluded the meet in the 4x400-meter relay with a third-place result, completing the race with a time of 3:55.55.
Kate Mattison recorded a new personal best of 2:12.52 to finish in third place in the women's 800-meter run. Mattison topped her previous personal best by over five seconds.
WCU put six inside the top eight including sweeping the top four positions in the men's triple jump led by
Javon Brown's personal best leap of 14.96 meters (49'1").
Javell Brown was second with a mark of 14.74 meters (48'4.5"), followed by
Tyler Rodriguez in third place with a mark of 13.50 meters (44'3.5"). Harvey finished in fourth place at 13.49 meters (33'3.25") with
Kaleb Ambrose in sixth with a distance of 13.26 meters (43'6").
Owen Barr rounded out the strong Catamount performance in the event with a leap of 13.04 meters (42'9.5").
Brandon Harvey successfully defended his Catamount Classic title in the men's high jump with a new personal best height of 2.07 meters (6'8.25"). Harvey now owns the fourth-best outdoor high jump mark in program history.
In the men's 110-meter hurdles,
Kaleb Ambrose ran a personal best 14.81 to earn a runner-up finish. Ambrose later earned a fourth-place result in the 400-meter hurdles thanks to a personal best time of 55.74. Ronald Kent recorded a third-place finish in the men's 100-meter dash finals, posting a new personal best time of 10.48.
Jalen Elwell finished fourth in the men's 800-meter run, completing the race in a personal best 1:52.50. Elwell's time is the fifth-fastest in the event in program history.
The 4x400-meter relay team of
Michael Harris,
Marcus Brown,
Trevor Bone, and
Joshua Stapleton concluded the meet with a time of 3:18.57 to finish in fourth place.
Ryan Eldridge finished sixth in the men's discus thanks to a throw that measured 40.80 meters (133'10").
Mickey Schihl finished sixth in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Schihl finished the race with a time of 10:30.83.
Harris finished seventh in the men's 400-meter dash, just ahead of Brown in eighth. Harris finished the race with a time of 49.26, followed by Brown at 49.55.
Prior to the meet, 12 WCU seniors were honored for their time competing for the Purple and Gold.
WCU is off next weekend before heading to Birmingham, Ala. for the Southern Conference Outdoor Championships on April 30 and May 1.
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