Montreat, N.C. -- Led by an event win on day two of the Montreat College Open, the Western Carolina track and field teams overcame the elements to start the 2024 outdoor season off on the right foot.
Hampered by steady rain throughout the day on Friday, the Catamounts were led on the first day of the season-opening meet by a fifth-place finish by Colby Capps in the pole vault. The freshman cleared the 3.80-meter mark on his first attempt en route to a top-five finish in the event.
The second day of competition proved to be more eventful for WCU as six Catamounts earned top-five finishes in their respective events.
The top finishes on Saturday belonged to Jennifer Wagner and Bella Hilleary in the women's portion of the pole vault which was postponed to the second day due to the weather. Wagner and Hilleary both took advantage of the delayed event as the Purple and Gold duo cruised to first and second-place finishes in the event thanks to their clear of 3.40 meters. Both athletes secured their placements thanks to an attempt tiebreaker that favored Wagner as she cleared all her previous heights on the first attempt.
Shaneil Lysight started the track events off with momentum for the Catamounts as the sophomore took a fourth-place finish in the first track event of the day, the 100-meter hurdles. Lysight was one of only six athletes to post a sub-15.30 second mark in the event as her time of 15.10 seconds secured her the top-five placement.
On the men's side, Jackson Livingston and Jalen Elwell took a pair of fourth-place finishes for the Catamounts in the javelin and the 800-meter run, respectively. Thanks to his throw of 54.23 meters in the javelin, Livingston was one of only five athletes to eclipse the 50.00-meter mark in the event. He was also one of only three attached athletes to clear the mark on the day. In the 800-meter event, Jalen Elwell was one of only five athletes to post a sub 1:56 time in the event and claimed his fourth-place finish on the day with a narrow, .14 second edge on fifth-place finisher Sylas Chambers from Milligan.
Freshman Austin Ramirez had arguably one of the most impressive performances of the weekend for the Catamounts as the thrower qualified for the finals portion of the hammer throw thanks to an incredible 49.36-meter throw on his third and final toss of the first flight. The freshman then surpassed that mark on his third throw of the finals round, taking a fourth-place finish with a 49.81-meter attempt. Ramirez was the only member of the first flight to finish within the Top Ten and was one of only four athletes to break the 49-meter mark.
While the Catamounts head into an open weekend, they will look to build upon their initial success at the Tennessee Invite scheduled for April 5-6, in Knoxville.
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