Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina men's and women's track & field teams return to action as head coach Jesse Norman announced the 2025-26 indoor and outdoor season schedules today. The indoor season opens later this week, with the Catamounts heading to Clemson on Dec. 5 for the first meet of the year.
WCU will see action in 17 events over the course of the two seasons, split with eight in the indoor season and nine during outdoor competition. The majority of the indoor season will take place at the newly opened Indoor Complex at the Tryon International facility in Mill Spring, N.C., with trips to South Carolina and Virginia on the docket as well.
Outside of an outdoor season-opening trip to Alabama, the Catamount outdoor campaign takes place entirely within the Tar Heel State, including two home meets as WCU hosts the annual Catamount Classic and the 2026 SoCon Outdoor Championships.
For the third season in a row, the Catamount indoor campaign opens in Clemson, S.C., as the Catamounts compete in the Clemson Opener. They'll return to the Palmetto State for the Clemson Invitational on Jan. 10, though the team is set to split with a portion heading to Mill Spring, N.C., for the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener.
The Catamounts close January with two consecutive meets at the Tryon Indoor Complex, beginning with the Winter Invitational on Jan. 16-17 before returning for the ECE Banked is Best Invitational on Jan. 30 for their final indoor appearance in North Carolina for the season.
WCU then heads to Virginia for its yearly appearance at the Liberty-hosted Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational in Lynchburg, Va., on Feb. 13-14 before taking on the Southern Conference Indoor Championships at VMI's Corps Physical Training Facility in Lexington, Va.
The 2025-26 Indoor Season concludes in Fayetteville, Ark., with the NCAA National Championships, which run from March 13-14.
The Catamounts return to the track shortly after the national championships, opening the 2026 Outdoor Season on March 13-14 with the University of South Alabama Jaguar Invitational in Mobile, Ala.
Following the only regular season meet outside the state of North Carolina, WCU splits for the Charlotte 49er Classic – with the Catamount multis' competitors attending the Charlotte meet – and the Big South vs SoCon Challenge in Asheville on March 19-21.
April opens with the Catamounts heading to High Point, N.C., for the VertKlasse Meeting on April 3-4 before swinging up to Durham for the Duke Invitational on April 9-11.
The Catamounts then host the annual Catamount Classic on April 24-25 to get actual competition on their home track before hosting the SoCon Championships on March 11-12. The conference championship meet returns to Cullowhee for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
The 2026 Outdoor season concludes with the NCAA East Prelims in Lexington, Ky. On March 27-30th, with qualifiers heading to Eugene, OR, for the NCAA National Championships on June 10-13.
Full 2025-26 Track and Field Schedule:
Indoor Track & Field:
Dec. 5 – Clemson Opener – Clemson, S.C.
Jan. 10 – UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener – Mill Spring, N.C.
Jan. 10 – Clemson Invitational – Clemson, S.C.
Jan. 16-17 – Tryon International Winter Invitational – Mill Spring, N.C.
Jan. 30 – ECE Banked is Best Invitational – Mill Spring, N.C.
Feb. 13-14 Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational – Lynchburg, Va.
Feb. 27-28 – 2026 Southern Conference Indoor Championships – Lexington, Va.
March 13-14 – NCAA National Championships – Fayetteville, Ark.
Outdoor Track & Field:
March 13-14 – University of South Alabama Jaguar Invitational – Mobile, Ala.
March 19-21 – Charlotte 49er Classic – Charlotte, N.C. (multi's)
Big South vs SoCon Conference Challenge – Asheville, N.C.
April 3-4 – VertKlassee Meeting – High Point, N.C.
April 9-11 – Duke Invitational – Durham, N.C.
April 24-25 – Catamount Classic – Cullowhee, N.C.
May 11-12 - Southern Conference Outdoor Championships – Cullowhee, N.C.
May 27–30 – NCAA East Preliminary Round – Lexington, Ky.
June 10-13 – NCAA National Championships – Eugene, OR.
