Clemson. S.C. – The Western Carolina track and field teams are returning to Cullowhee after two days of battling fierce competition among the best it will see this indoor season at Clemson's Orange and Purple Invitational at the Rock Norman Track & Field Complex.
Competing close to his hometown of Seneca, S.C., senior Damon Worley posted the top finish at the meet for the Catamounts, collecting a podium finish with a third place showing in the men's heptathlon with a personal best of 4,952 total points. Worley never finished outside of fifth in any of the individual heptathlon events and set personal bests in the pole vault (2nd – 4.40m), the 60-meter hurdles (5th – 8.96), and the shot put (5th – 11.60m) in collecting the bronze finish. Sophomore Colby Capps and freshman Bennett Whitefield performed well in the multi-event as well, taking sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Top men's hurdler CJ McFerrin claimed a ninth-place finish in the 60m hurdles with a sprint of 8.13 in the semifinal round Friday. McFerrin secured his placement in the semifinals after clocking an 8.05 finish in the preliminary round.
The Catamount men's jumpers claimed a pair of top ten finishes at the meet with freshman Kwan Oates earning seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 13.36 meters. Junior Nathan Williams was close behind in 10th with a 12.77m mark.
WCU's top women's finish of the meet also came in the multis, as sophomore Kendal Hudson took eighth in the pentathlon. She was closely followed by freshman Erika Jackson in ninth in the women's shot put with a 13.13-meter toss and junior Sydney Lowe, who claimed 10th in the women's 1,000-meter run.
While top placements were difficult to secure for the Catamounts against both professional and top collegiate competition, WCU saw many student-athletes claim personal bests in Clemson over the two-day event:
Women's Personal Bests:
Leah Butler (200 & 400)
Kyndal Saunders (200 & 400)
Peyton Skoglund (3000m)
Shaneil Lysight (60m H)
Jasmine Greene (Triple Jump)
Ericka Jackson (Weight Throw)
Hailee Jackson-Morgan (Weight Throw)
Marissa Watts (300m)
Men's Personal Bests:
Leyton Shuler (60m)
Dakota Braucher (60m)
Ethan Long (200m)
Trevor Williams (400m)
Drew Zink (3000m)
Chase Thurber (3000m)
Peter Schihl (3000m)
Christian Roberts (60m H)
Ethan Hibberts (60m H)
Jaylen Morrow (60m H)
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Wester Carolina is back in action next weekend for the VMI Winter Classic in Lexington, Va., before taking a week to rest. The Catamounts then hit the final stretch of the indoor season with the Liberty's Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational (Feb. 14-15) in Lynchburg, Va., before returning to Lexington for the 2025 Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
