Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina track and field teams finished off day two of the 17th annual Catamount Classic with three event wins and 22 top-five showings as the competition concluded Saturday at the Catamount Athletics Complex.
Jasmine Greene was the only individual Catamount to pick up a win on day two as her jump of 11.73m in the triple jump secured her the top spot in the event. She hit the distance on her fourth attempt of the day, holding on to the first-place finish through the rest of the attempts in the finals.
A pair of WCU relay teams also took first-place finishes as the women's 4x100m team consisting of Armani Blair, Nytrinitey Jenkins, Mikayla Turner, and Cymoria Thomas took the top spot in the first event of the day thanks to their time of 46.48. The Catamount quartet was the only 4x100m team to post a sub-47-second time on the day. On the men's side, Quinton Godfrey, Teddy Ayden, David Miles, and Noah Straley cruised to a five-second victory in the men's 4x400m relay to close out the day for the Catamounts. Their time of 3:16.25 in the event was the only sub-3:20 time as second-place team Newberry posted a 3:21.50 finish in the event.
The women's 4x400m relay team took a strong placement in their event as well as Mikayla Turner, Cymoria Thomas, Kyndal Saunders, and Leah Butler closed out the women's events at the Catamount Classic with a 3:54.99 finish in the event.
The Catamounts collected three additional second-place finishes on the day as Imani Boyd, John Davis, and Peyton Skoglund all finished with strong performances in their respective events. Boyd took her placement in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:05.78. John Davis took the sole second-place finish for the men's team as he edged out teammate Henry Stecher in the men's 800m. Davis posted a time of 1:52.37 while Stecher took third with a time of 1:52.47. Skoglund and teammate Sydney Runyan took second and third-place finishes in the women's 3000m steeplechase as the Catamount pairing swapped standings several times throughout the event.
Closing out the podium-placement-worthy finishes on the day, Lawson Mecom took a third-place finish in the men's steeplechase. Mecom battled back and forth with Pat Ford and ETSU's Ben Kenner but came out on top of the three with a time of 9:50.87. The men's 4x100m relay team consisting of Sam Woodard, Noah Straley, Quinton Godfrey, and Teddy Ayden opened the day with an impressive performance on the track as the Catamount quartet blitzed to a third-place finish in the event with a time of 41.92 seconds.
As for the field events, Damon Worley and Sadler Miller took third-place finishes in their respective high jumps. Worley set a personal best in the event with a clear of 1.88m and was one of two Catamounts to clear the height, though he finished ahead of David Dorbin in the final standings due to an attempt-tiebreaker. Sadler Miller finished in a three-way tie for third in the women's standings with her clear of 1.61m, a height she cleared on her first attempt. Miller only needed the first attempt on all three of her successful clears on the day.
The Catamounts look to carry the positive momentum forward for the rest of the outdoor season as they travel to the App State Open in Boone, N.C. for a final regular-season tune-up next weekend (April 26-27). The Purple and Gold will then head to Birmingham, Ala. for the 2024 Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Samford beginning May 6.
Notable Placements-
Jasmine Greene – 1st Women's Triple Jump
A. Blair, N. Jenkins, M. Turner, C. Thomas – 1st Women's 4x100m
Q. Godfrey, T. Ayden, D. Miles, N. Straley – 1st Men's 4x400m
Imani Boyd – 2nd Women's 400m Hurdles
John Davis – 2nd Men's 800m
Peyton Skoglund – 2nd Women's 3000m Steeplechase
M. Turner, C. Thomas, K. Saunders, L. Butler – 2nd Women's 4x400m
Henry Stecher – 3rd Men's 800m
Lawson Mecom – 3rd Men's 3000m Steeplechase
Sydney Runyan – 3rd Women's 3000m Steeplechase
Damon Worley – 3rd Men's High Jump
Sadler Miller – 3rd Women's High Jump
S. Woodard, N. Straley, Q. Godfrey, T. Ayden – 3rd Men's 4x100m
Lauren Esselborn – 4th Women's 800m
David Dorbin – 4th Men's High Jump
Derica Currie – 4th Women's Triple Jump
Kyndal Saunders – 5th Women's 400m
Jalen Elwell – 5th Men's 800m
Toria Roundtree – 5th Women's Discus
Adam Ledford – 5th Men's High Jump
Cameron Pompey – 5th Men's High Jump
J. Davis, H. Stecher, C. Thurber, M. Womack – 5th Men's 4x400m
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