Cullowhee, N.C. -- The Western Carolina cross country team is set to take to the mountain trails for the first time this season as they head to Boone, N.C. for the Covered Bridge Open on August, 30. The eight-team field will get going at 10:00 a.m. with the women on the 5k course at the State Farm Fields. The men will finish off the day with a 6k beginning at 10:40 a.m.
The Purple and Gold have run in the Covered Bridge Open a handful of times in recent years, with the women's team most recently taking a fifth place finish in 2022. The men's team finished tenth that year, with their highest placement at the event coming in 2019 when they finished eighth. The Catamounts and the women's team in particular will look to come out of the gates strong for the second year in a row as last year's opener saw the Catamounts' women's squad take a first-place finish in the Young Harris Invitational, with
Katherine Hopkins taking the top individual finish on the day.
The Catamounts field a cross country squad consisting of 28 Purple and Gold-clad runners evenly distributed across the two teams. The top finishes from last years' Southern Conference championships both return for the Catamounts, as
Drew Zink and
Riley McKinney look to lead the way. Additionally, both teams have added a handful of new blood to the rosters and will be looking for freshmen newcomers
Noah Luke,
Calvin Smith,
Hannah Kliner,
Avery Mays,
Braelyn-Shae Wahy and freshman Colorado State transfer
Logan Gullett look to start their Catamount cross country careers off on the right foot. Rejoining the Catamount squad is 2022 Indoor SoCon Freshman of the Year
Justin Hayes. Hayes returns to Cullowhee following a one-year stint with the Charlotte 49ers and will look to pick up right where he left off.
The Purple and Gold will have an opportunity to see how they stack up to SoCon competition early as conference rival Mercer is scheduled to be in attendance at the meet. The Bears men's squad was selected to finish third in the conference behind Furman and ETSU, while their women's team is predicted to finish fifth.
Friday's Meet:
The Covered Bridge Open | 361 Dale Street, Boone, NC 28607
Teams (8): App State, High Point, Mercer, Montreat, South Carolina, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate, and
Western Carolina
Live Results: MileSplit Live Results (bigkahunatiming.com)
Women's 5K: 10:00 a.m.
Men's 6K: 10:40 a.m.
Up Next for the Catamounts:
The Purple and Gold will have a few weeks off from competition before heading to the Furman Invitational on September 14. They'll then have their second race in back-to-back weeks as they take on the Brevard Invite.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount cross country and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports) and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountxctf).
