CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina track & field teams recorded six top-five finishes along with several personal bests on the first day of the Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
The meet continues on Tuesday at Noon with the completion of the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. Field event finals start at 2:15 p.m. with the women's shot put and men's discus with track events starting at 4 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay.
Tuesday's ESPN+ broadcast (paid subscription required) begins at 3:30 p.m. Free live stats for the meet can be found via a link on CatamountSports.com and SoConSports.com.
Jackson Livingston was the runner-up in the men's javelin with a personal best throw that measured 59.39 meters (194'10"). Livingston's throw is the second-best in program history, trailing only Matt Evans' school-record mark of 60.26 meters.
Javon Brown led three Catamounts in the top seven of the men's long jump with a leap of 7.19 meters (23'7.25") to finish in third place.
Tyler Rodriguez finished in fifth place with his leap of 6.94 meters (22'9.25"), followed by
Javell Brown in seventh with a mark of 6.80 meters (22'3.75").
Jonathan Lehe finished in fourth place in the men's pole vault after he cleared a height of 4.48 meters (14'8.25").
Riley Center finished in fourth place in the men's hammer throw with a new personal best mark of 47.63 meters (156'3").
Jacob Thomas finished in seventh with a mark of 43.21 meters (141'9").
Will Mitchell finished in eighth place in the men's 3,000-steeplechase with a finishing time of 9:41.37.
Kate Mattison ran a personal-best 36:28.23 in the women's 10,000-meter run to finish in third place.
Jasmine Greene recorded a fourth-place result in the women's long jump with a new personal best leap of 5.60 meters (18'4.5").
Derica Currie placed eighth after a mark of 5.37 meters (17'7.5").
Sydney Gallant tied for seventh place in the women's pole vault, clearing a height of 3.46 meters (11'4.25").
The majority of Monday's track action consisted of prelims. In the women's 100-meter hurdles,
Imani Boyd,
Dami Shodeinde, and
Shaneil Lysight qualified for Tuesday's finals.
Kaleb Ambrose reached the men's 110-meter hurdle finals.
Reaching the women's 400-meter dash final were
Nytrinitey Jenkins and Makayla Turner. Defending men's 400-meter dash winner
Michael Harris advanced to the finals to defend his title along with
Elias Barton.
Brianna Gayle qualified for the finals in the women's 100-meter dash.
David Miles and
Teddy Ayden advanced to the finals in the men's 100-meter dash.
John Davis and
Henry Stecher both advanced to the finals in the men's 800-meter run.
Imani Boyd was the fastest in the women's 400-meter hurdle prelims with a time of 1:03.29.
Shaneil Lysight also advanced to the finals.
Gayle and Jenkins reached the finals in the women's 200-meter dash. In the men's 200-meter dash, Harris, Miles, and Ayden qualified for the men's 200-meter dash.
Following the first day of competition, the WCU men's team sits in third place while the women's team is seventh.
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