Cullowhee, N.C. -- With the 2024 Cross Country season just around the corner, let's look back at the 2024 Outdoor Track and Field season, which saw the Catamounts claim nine event wins to go along with 71 top-five placements across the nine-meet season.  
 
Meet One: Montreat College Open 
The Montreat College Open started the 2024 Catamount campaign for the first time, as the Purple and Gold looked to ease into the season. WCU posted seven top five finishes competing with 32 other teams across the two days of the meet, with a trio of pole vaulters paving the way for the Catamounts. Freshman Colby Capps picked up a top-five finish in the men's portion of the event on the first day of competition, with a steady rain pushing Bella Hilleary and Jennifer Wagner's attempts to day two. The longer wait did not hamper the duo's attempts as the pair posted a 1-2 finish in the event with 3.40m clears. Wagner took the win in the event thanks to an attempts tiebreaker.  
Top 5's: 7 | Top 3's: 2 | Event Wins: 1 
 
Meet Two: Tennessee Invite 
The second meet of the outdoor season saw the Catamounts pick up their second event win of the season as the Purple and Gold battle against elite competition at the Tennessee Invite in Knoxville. For the second meet in a row, it was the women's team who claimed the event win as Heidi Hudson took a first place finish in the high jump as the only athlete to clear the 1.73m mark. The top finish on the men's team also came in one of the jump events as Noah Straley posted a 7.03m mark in the long jump. Straley was one of only five athletes to surpass the 7.00m distance.  
Top 5's: 3 | Top 3's: 1 | Wins: 1 
 
Meet Three: Duke Invitational 
Freshmen led the way at the Duke Invitational as Katherine Hopkins fought to the sole top-five finish for the Catamounts at the meet. Hopkins claimed fifth in the 5k with a time of 17:45.59 and was one of only two freshmen to finish in the top five of the event. Additionally, fellow freshman Heidi Hudson leapt her way up the WCU all-time top five list, taking the fourth spot in the heptathlon with 4692 points and tying for second in the high jump with a 1.78m clear. That jump would earn her a spot at the NCAA East First round.  
Top 5's - 1

All-Time Top Five Performers
Heidi Hudson – 4692 points | 4th in Heptathlon 
Heidi Hudson – 1.78m | T- 2nd in High Jump 
 
Meet Four: Tornado classic 
A contingent of six Catamounts opted to take on the Brevard-hosted Tornado Classic as opposed to the Duke Invitational and were rewarded with seven top-five finishes and an event win for their efforts. Grant Parham claimed the first-place finish on the day for the Catamounts, topping the podium in the 1500m while Joshuah Glynn-Williams took third-place finishes in both the long and triple jumps. Clara Root and Bella Hilleary took second in the 800m and triple jump respectively while Jasmine Smith finished third in the 800m. 
Top 5's: 7 | Top 3's 6 | Event Wins: 1 
 
Meet Five: Catamount Classic 
Homefield advantage was certainly present at the Catamount Athletic Complex for the annual Catamount Classic as the Purple and Gold put together their strongest performance of the season, dominating the field with 34 top-five finishes and four event wins at the home meet. Quinton Godfrey and Teddy Ayden were among the busiest athletes at the meet, taking elite individual placements in the 100m and the 200m while taking a third-place finish in the 4x100m relay and the top spot in the 4x400m, along with David Miles and Noah Straley. The women's team picked up a pair of top solo finishes in the jumps as Jasmine Greene and Heidi Hudson took the top spot in the triple and long jumps. The fourth event win on the day came in women's 4x100m as Armani Blair, Nytrinitey Jenkins, Mikayla Turner, and Cymoria Thomas claimed the top spot on the day.  
Top 5's: 34 | Top 3's: 20 | Event Wins: 4 
 
Meet Six: App State Open 
A final warmup before the conference championships, the Catamounts were represented by a handful of athletes at the App State Open, with the throws squad taking center stage. Dominick Dale took the top finish at the meet, finishing fourth in the hammer throw with a 46.96m toss. Dale was one of four athletes with a throw of 45.50m or better.  
Top 5's: 1 

Meet Seven: SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The second-best meet of the season in top-five performances, the Catamounts crowned two conference champions with ten podium placements at the SoCon Outdoor championships. Jasmine Greene claimed back-to-back outdoor triple jump titles as Heidi Hudson took the conference gold in the high jump. The top individual finish on the men's side belonged to Jackson Livingston who broke 60 meters in the javelin throw for the first time in his career, stealing silver with a 62.30m throw. His mark now stands as the second-best toss in school history and one of only two to pass the 60m mark. Additionally, Damon Worley and Katherine Hopkins pushed their way to the school's all-time performers list in the decathlon and the 10k respectively.  
Top 5's: 28 | Podium Placements: 10 | Conference Champions: 2 | All-Freshman Team: 23 Honorees

All-Time Top Five Performers:
Jackson Livingston - 62.30m | 2nd in Javelin Throw
Damon Worley - 6434 points | 2nd in Decathlon
Katherine Hopkins - 38:07.19 | 5th in 10k

Meet Eight: NCAA East First Round 
The Catamounts sent an athlete to the first round of the NCAA Championships in back-to-back seasons as Heidi Hudson competed in the high jump at the East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky. Her clear of 1.78m at the Duke Invitational secured her spot at the meet, where she ended the season tied 31st in the East after clearing 1.66m and 1.71m on her first attempts. She was the ninth student-athlete to compete at the regional meet since head coach Jesse Norman took over the program in 2019.  
 
Catamounts at the Regional Meet since 2019:  
2019 - Devaniel Dale: 200m/400m  
2019 – Trini Feggett: Long Jump  
2019 - Dijoun Huitt: Triple Jump  
2019 – Dakota Oxendine: High Jump  
2019 – Makaila Mcintyre: Long Jump  
2020 – No meet due to COVID-19 shortened season 
2021 – Shon Pratcher: Long Jump  
2023 – Javell Brown: Triple Jump  
2023 – Javon Brown: Triple Jump  
2024 – Heidi Hudson: High Jump  
  
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