Birmingham, Ala. – The Western Carolina track and field teams are back as a cohesive unit for a final time this season as they jockey for podium placements and a conference championship at the 2025 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
This year's champion-crowning meet is scheduled for May 12-13 in Birmingham, Ala., on Shauna Yelton Field at The Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. All 10 teams will compete for the women's titles, while nine vie for the gold on the men's side.
Samford claimed both the men's and women's outdoor track and field championships on their home track a year ago, and enters the 2025 meet after sweeping both titles at the 2025 indoor championships. The Catamount men finished a close runner-up to the Bulldogs at the indoor meet, finishing 10 points in arrears, 167 to 177, in the tightest championship race since WCU claimed the 2018 championships, 141-138 over Samford.
Based on season results ahead of the championship event, the Bulldogs are again the favorites heading into the week, with the Catamounts second based on current standings. The WCU women's team would be the closer of the two Catamount squads, thanks to excellent regular-season efforts from the throws and sprints squads.
2025 SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Birmingham, Ala.
Mon., May 12: 11:00 a.m. – 8:20 p.m.
Tues., May 13: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Live Results: https://tinyurl.com/2a3pca9b
Watch (ESPN+ | Tues. Only): https://tinyurl.com/2p9vuvaj
Catamounts to Watch:
Western Carolina track and field leads the Southern Conference in six events, with freshmen Ethan Long and Ericka Jackson pacing the league in a pair of events apiece.
Long is tied for the SoCon lead in the 100m with a 10.31 finish at the Catamount Classic and is alone in the spotlight for the 200m after a 20.83 mark at the same meet. The Lakeside Park, Ky., native was named the Heath Whittle Award winner after the indoor championships in March, as he earned 26 points for the Catamounts.
Jackson commands the SoCon field in both the shot put and the discus, hitting personal bests in the events at the Catamount Classic. She has a slim lead in the shot put with a 13.29m toss, which is .04m further than second place, but has three full meters of space between herself and second in the discus. Toria Roundtree is in the silver medal position after the regular season. The next closest non-Catamount thrower in the discus is Tyla Nicholson out of ETSU, who has a best throw of 40.93m this season.
Two-sport standout Sadler Miller and the women's 4x100m team also lead the conference in their respective events. Fresh off a strong finish to her women's golf season, Miller posted a strong personal best in the high jump with a 1.71m clear at the Catamount Classic, a full .10m higher than her previous best. She is the only women's student-athlete in the conference with a clear better than 1.70m heading into the championship meet.
WCU's 4x100m relay team of Jasmine Greene, Leah Butler, Cymoria Thomas, and Miranda Watts led the conference after a blazing 46.34s finish at the Catamount Classic. The Catamount quartet just edged out the Wofford squad by .48 seconds as those two units are the only teams to post sub-46-second finishes this season.
The Catamounts have one student-athlete in the regional rankings heading into the championship meet, as CJ McFerrin broke into the Top 50 in the East. McFerrin has come close to breaking the Catamount 110m hurdles record several times this season, most recently with his wind-aided time of 13.98s at the VertKlasse Meeting in early April. The senior ranks 45th in the region with that finish and looks to lower that time to secure a spot at the regional meet in Jacksonville, Fla., at the end of the month.
Live results each day is available online through SoConSports.com and links at CatamountSports.com. Tuesday's second day of competition is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
Catamounts in the SoCon Standings:
|
M 100m
|
T-1 – Ethan Long
|
W 100m
|
2 – Armani Blair
5 – Cymoria Thomas
|
|
M 200m
|
1 – Ethan Long
6 – Noah Straley
7 – Quinton Godfrey
8 – Elias Barton
|
W 200m
|
2 – Cymoria Thomas
|
|
M 400m
|
3 – Quinton Godfrey
7 – Trevor Williams
8 – Noah Straley
|
W 400m
|
4 – Leah Butler
6 – Kyndal Saunders
9 – Aniya Patterson
10 – Amilliana Simmons
|
|
M 800m
|
5 – John Davis
7 – Henry Stecher
|
100m H
|
3 – Shaneil Lysight
7 – Imani Boyd
|
|
110m H
|
2 – CJ McFerrin
4 – Christian Roberts
T-5 – Kamdyn Swartz
8 – Jaylen Morrow
|
400m H
|
4 – Imani Boyd
5 – Shaneil Lysight
10 – Marie Harris
|
|
400m H
|
4 – Christian Roberts
8 – Jaylen Morrow
9 – CJ McFerrin
|
3000m s
|
3 – Peyton Skoglund
|
|
3000m S
|
4 – Will Mitchell
6 – Justin Hayes
|
W 4x100m
|
1 – Greene, Butler, Watts, Thomas
|
|
4x100m
|
2 – Shuler, Straley, Dube, Long
|
4x400m
|
2 – Lysight, Patterson, Butler, Saunders
|
|
4x400m
|
2 – Straley, Dube, Williams, Barton
|
W High Jump
|
1 – Sadler Miller
5 – Imani Boyd
10 – Hannah Kline
|
|
M High Jump
|
4 – Cameron Pompey
5- Adam Ledford
|
W Pole Vault
|
9 – Jennifer Wagner
|
|
M Long Jump
|
2 – Noah Straley
9 – Elijah Cochran
|
W Long Jump
|
5 – Raelyn Vadala
8 – Kendal Hudson
10 – Jasmine Greene
|
|
M Triple Jump
|
5 – Nathan Williams
7 – Cameron Pompey
9 – Dakota Braucher
|
W Triple Jump
|
4 – Jasmine Greene
6 – Raelyn Vadala
7 – Octavia Massena
10 – Kendal Hudson
|
|
M Shot Put
|
3 – Austin Cline
6 – Kolton Weaver
|
W Shot Put
|
1 – Ericka Jackson
5 – Lexie Durban
7 – Emmie Finley
|
|
M Discus
|
6 – Trez Fouch
9 – Austin Cline
10 – Austin Ramirez
|
W Discus
|
1 – Ericka Jackson
2 – Toria Roundtree
5 – Lexie Durban
9 – Emmie Finley
|
|
M Hammer
|
3 – Austin Ramirez
4 – Austin Cline
7 – Dominick Dale
|
W Hammer
|
3 – Lexie Durban
4 – Ericka Jackson
7 – Emmie Finley
|
|
M Javelin
|
3 – Jackson Livingston
7 – Dominick Dale
|
W Javelin
|
3 – Ericka Jackson
6 – Lexie Durban
8 – Emmie Finley
|
