Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's and women's cross country teams raise the curtain on the fall championship season as the Catamounts are headed back to Greenville, S.C., for the 2024 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships. The conference-wide races are set to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, with the men's 8K to be followed by the women's 6K race.
WCU will field nine runners in both championship races. On the women's side in the 6K, a pair of seniors in Alesea Caldwell and Sara Klemm lead the lineup. They're joined by junior Riley McKinney and four sophomores Amaya Hicks, Katherine Hopkins, Grace Lane, Peyton Skoglund. Rounding out the Catamount lineup are freshmen Hannah Kliner and Braelyn Shae-Wahy.
For the men's team in the morning-opening 8K event, graduate student Drew Zink has posted his best seasonal – and personal – bests at the conference championship as he guides a youthful pride of Catamounts this weekend. Zink is flanked by senior John Davis and junior Justin Hayes who rejoined the WCU distance program after earning 2022 SoCon Indoor Track & Field Freshman Athlete of the Year. Rounding out the men's lineup are sophomores Lawson Mecom, Peter Schihl, Chase Thurber, and Matthew Womack, joined by a pair of freshmen Logan Gullett and Noah Luke.
The Catamounts look to carry the momentum gained during the Upstate Invite forward to the conference championships. The men's team saw Drew Zink, Lawson Mecom, and Chase Thurber each crack into the all-time performance list in their first 8K of the season. As the top finishers for the Catamounts, all posted sub-25:00 times. Katherine Hopkins has paced the women's team throughout the season, earning the top finishing time at all three meets so far. Her top 6K time of the season came at the Furman Invite back in September where she posted a 23:18.6 finish.
Saturday's Meet Information:
Furman Invitational | 400 N Highway 25 Bypass, Greenville, SC 29617
Live Results: https://tinyurl.com/2mbs97kb
Championship Page: https://tinyurl.com/67exkk4e
10:00 a.m.: Men's 8K
10:45 a.m.: Women's 6K
Teams (10): Furman, Mercer, Wofford, UNC Greensboro, VMI, ETSU, The Citadel, Chattanooga, Samford, Western Carolina
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Following the SoCon Championship, WCU has the 2024 Southeast Regionals on the calendar. The regionals are hosted by Winthrop this year and will take place in Rock Hill, S.C. on Nov. 15.
