Knoxville, Tenn. -- The Western Carolina track and field teams have a bit more to show for their trip to the Tennessee Invite as the Catamounts closed out the final day of competition with an elite performance in the women's high jump to go along with a handful of top-ten finishes.  

Freshman jumper Heidi Hudson made the most of her first appearance of the outdoor season as the young Catamount soared to a first-place finish in the women's high jump thanks to a clear of 1.73m. Hudson was one of only four athletes to clear the 1.70m mark and was the only one to get over the 1.73m bar, securing the event win on her third and final attempt at the height. The clear is tied for the fifth highest in WCU outdoor history and is the first Catamount to clear the 1.73m mark since Jaelyn Warren did so in 2018. Hudson is now tied for 51st nationally and for 21st in the East region.  

While the top finish of the day belonged to the women's team, the men's squad chipped in four top-ten finishes of their own, highlighted by a fifth-place showing by the 4x400m relay team. The quartet consisting of Teddy Ayden, Elias Barton, John Davis, and Henry Stecher was one of only five units to post a sub-3:20 time in the event, finishing just a hair under that mark with a time of 3:19.68 – their fastest time of the season

Davis additionally posted the highest individual finish of the day for the men's team thanks to his 1:52.45 finish in the 800m.  
 

The Catamounts will be back in action next week as the team splits to take on the Duke Invitational (Apr. 11-13) and the Brevard Invitational (Apr. 11) before returning to Cullowhee for the annual Catamount Classic (Apr. 17-18).