BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Western Carolina track and field teams earned four individual and one relay win on Sunday as the Catamounts wrapped up the 2022 Southern Conference Championships.
The WCU men's team finished as the runner-up for the second straight year with 149 points. The women's team placed third with 133 points with second place decided in the meet's final event. Samford won both the men's (226 points) and women's (224 points) team championships.
Marissa Blakely was honored as the women's most outstanding athlete as she tallied 27.75 points in five events during the meet.
Javon Brown won the men's triple jump with a personal-best mark of 15.36 meters (50'4.75"), crushing his previous personal best of 14.96 meters (49'1") set at the Catamount Classic two weeks ago.
Javell Brown finished second, recording an outdoor personal-best leap of 14.86 meters (48'9").
Kaleb Ambrose was fifth with a personal-best leap of 13.66 meters (44'9.75), followed by
Brandon Harvey in eighth at 13.38 meters (43'10.75").
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of
Marcus Brown,
David Miles,
Michael Harris, and Ronald Kent opened Sunday's track action with a win. The quartet posted a season-best time of 41.13, nearly one second faster than their previous season-best.
Harris was the winner of the men's 400-meter dash, finishing the race with a new personal best time of 47.62. Kent finished in second place in the men's 100-meter dash, logging a time of 10.49.
David Miles was third, also finishing with a time of 10.49. Kent crossed the finish line in 10.482 with Miles breaking the tape in 10.489.
Marcus Brown finished seventh in 10.77.
Miles took second place in the men's 200-meter dash with a personal best time of 21.29. Brown also finished seventh in the race, crossing the finish line in 22.07.
Adam Hart finished second in the men's shot put with a personal best throw that measured 15.48 meters, just .01 behind the winning throw.
Ryan Eldridge finished third with a top throw of 15.03 meters (49'3.75").
Riley Center placed fifth with a personal best throw of 14.53 meters (14.34 meters).
Harvey was the runner-up in the men's high jump, clearing the bar set at 2.0 meters (6'6.75").
Ambrose finished third in the men's 110-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 14.91. He picked up his second top-five finish of the meet in the 400-meter hurdles, picking up fifth place with a finishing time of 56.33.
Brown, Miles, Harris, and
Joshua Stapleton ran a season-best 3:16.53 in the men's 4x400-meter relay as they earned a third-place finish.
In the men's discus, Hart recorded a third-place result with a personal best throw of 46.89 meters (153'10").
Jalen Elwell finished eighth in the men's 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.83.
On the women's side, Blakely led a 1-2 WCU finish in the women's 400-meter dash, taking the victory in a personal best 54.93.
Nytrinitey Jenkins finished second with a personal-best 55.71.
Mikayla Turner earned seventh, crossing the finish line with a new personal best of 58.46.
Blakely and Jenkins repeated their feat in the 200-meter dash. Blakely earned the event win in a personal-best 24.29, which is tied for the fourth-fastest in the event in program history. Jenkins completed the race in a personal best 24.43.
Victoria Solheim won the women's discus with a personal best throw of 46.95 meters (154'0"). Solheim's throw is the second-best in the event in program history. She also earned a fifth-place finish in the women's shot put with a top throw of 12.44 meters (40'9.75").
Makaila McIntyre led three WCU student-athletes in the women's triple jump as she finished second with a leap of 12.20 meters (40'0.5"). McIntyre was edged by Samford's Morayo Bhadmos by .01 meters for first place.
Derica Currie finished fifth with a top distance of 11.43 meters (37'6").
Erica O'Neal finished in seventh place with a new personal best distance of 11.14 meters (36'6.75").
McIntyre finished in third place in the women's 100-meter dash with a personal best time of 11.91.
Kayla Smith, Blakely, Jenkins, and McIntyre teamed up for a third-place finish in the women's 4x100-meter relay with a time of 46.89. Blakely also earned a fourth-place finish in the women's high jump, clearing a height of 1.60 meters (5'3'). Turner, Jenkins, Blakely, and Smith finished fourth in the women's 4x400-meter relay, completing the race in 3:53.69.
Kate Mattison finished in fourth place in the women's 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:27.52.
Omare McBride finished fifth in the women's heptathlon with 3,955 points.
Dami Shodeinde finished fifth in the women's 100-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 14.29.
Mallory Lowe finished seventh, crossing the finish line in a new personal best 14.55. Tre'Breh Scott took eighth in 14.77.
Taniyah Thomas finished seventh in the women's discus with a top throw of 33.93 meters (111'4").
Selections for the NCAA East Preliminaries will be announced in the coming weeks and will take place May 25-28 in Bloomington, Ind.
Men's results – Final
1. Samford – 226 points
2. Western Carolina – 149
3. VMI – 123
4. Furman – 95
5. ETSU – 87
6. The Citadel – 74
7. Wofford – 42
8. UNCG – 15
Women's results – Final
1. Samford – 224 points
2. ETSU – 138
3. Western Carolina – 133
4. Wofford – 117
5. Furman – 94
6. The Citadel – 46
7. Mercer – 31
8. Chattanooga – 21
9. VMI – 14
10. UNCG – 0
Men's Most Outstanding Athlete
Matt Cahoon, Samford
Women's Most Outstanding Athlete
Marissa Blakely, Western Carolina
Men's Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Logan Guzik, Samford
Women's Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Savannah Schmidt, Samford
Day 2 champions
Men: High jump Stephen Kraeling, The Citadel (2.05 meters);
discus Solomon Ghosh, VMI (48.70 meters);
4x100-meter relay Marcus Brown,
David Miles,
Michael Harris, Ronald Kent, Western Carolina (41.13);
1,500-meter run Adam Bradtmueller, ETSU (3:44.55);
110-meter hurdles Michael McMahan, Samford (14.52);
400-meter dash Michael Harris, Western Carolina (47.62);
100-meter dash Jordin Poindexter, VMI (10.27);
800-meter run Matthew Smith, Furman (1:48.37*);
400-meter hurdles Michael McMahan, Samford (53.05);
decathlon Ty Kimberlin, Samford (6,769 points);
5,000-meter run Gabe Montague, Furman (15:18.40);
200-meter dash Justin Poindexter, VMI (20.89);
shot put JP Caglione, The Citadel (15.49 meters);
triple jump Javon Brown, Western Carolina (15.36 meters);
4x400-meter relay Jeremiah Wilks, Jordan Poindexter, Richard Edwards, Johnnie Walker, VMI (3:11.08).
Women: Shot put Hannah Daffin, Samford (14.38 meters);
Heptathlon Mia Milasinovic, Samford (4,871 points);
4x100-meter relay Destiny Shippy, Georgia McDevitt, Rylee Jorgensen, Madeline McNinch, Wofford (45.99);
1,500-meter run Megan Marvin, Furman (4:20.44);
100-meter hurdles Kerrington Johnson, Wofford (13.40);
triple jump Morayo Bhadmos, Samford (12.21 meters);
400-meter dash Marissa Blakely, Western Carolina (54.93);
100-meter dash Nicole Johnson, ETSU (11.66);
800-meter run Megan Marvin, Furman (2:07.66);
400-meter hurdles Lindsay Cooper, ETSU (1:00.33);
200-meter dash Marissa Blakely, Western Carolina (24.29);
discus Victoria Solheim, Western Carolina (46.95 meters);
high jump Makenzie Hooton, Samford (1.65 meters);
5,000-meter run Bethany Graham, Furman (17:05.04);
4x400-meter relay Jessica Lord, Hannah Burkhart, Lindsay Cooper, Nicole Johnson, ETSU (3:48.68).
* meet record
