Cullowhee, N.C. – Coming off of a trio of runner-up finishes last season in cross country and both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Western Carolina men's track and field is bringing in a class loaded with talent as Catamount head coach Jesse Norman announced the addition of 15 newcomers to the program for the 2025-26 season.
WCU's 15-member incoming class includes 14 freshmen and a transfer, highlighted by seven signees for the distance events and cross country team, with four additions to the sprints/hurdles group. The Catamounts add three jumpers and one new addition for the throws squad, as WCU's field squads retain most of its members from last season.
"An exciting group of student-athletes is joining us this upcoming year," said Norman, who is entering his seventh season at his alma mater. "This year's recruiting class focused on getting some quality event coverage in the both the speed and power events, while rebuilding our distance program due to recent graduation. I feel that we were able to cover a lot of bases with this class and bring in some quality athletes that will push our current athletes, along with giving us some future star power."
WCU opens the year with cross country season in the fall of 2025, with the indoor season spanning the end of the fall and beginning of the spring semesters. The year culminates with the outdoor season in the spring of 2026.
Western Carolina's Men's Cross Country / Track & Field Signees (2025 - 26)
Sprint/Hurdle Group:
Aronne Cosentine (Cuthbertson HS – Waxhaw, N.C.)
PR's: 100m – 10.73, 200m – 21.42, 400m – 49.22
Coach Notes: A solid addition to our sprints group, Aronne made some significant improvements this past spring. He widened his event exposure, running the 400m for the first time last spring. He has some good 100m speed, and with his range to the 400m, gives us a versatile piece that we can plug where needed in the future.
Delton Jones (Miami Southridge HS – Miami, Fla.)
PR's: 100m – 10.76, 200m – 21.71
Coach Notes: Delton comes to WCU from the Sunshine State and will be looked at to bolster our short sprints group. He made some progress this summer and is very excited to join our sprints and help us continue developing in the future.
Nicholas Porter (Statesville HS – Statesville, N.C.)
PR's: 200m – 21.94, 400m – 47.69
Coach Notes: A North Carolina product and the NC 3A State Championship runner-up, Nicholas brings some immediate impact to our long sprints group. He gives us a strong candidate to build our long sprints group around as we look to win the team title again in the future.
De'Rell Scott (Statesville HS – Statesville, N.C.)
PR's: 60m – 6.89, 100m – 10.65, 200m – 21.85
Coach Notes: De'Rell is a second talent from Statesville HS. Teamed up with Aronne and Delton in Cullowhee, he gives us some quality depth at the short sprints group. He'll be looked at being one of our top 60m and 100m guys this next year, while developing his 200m to become more impactful for the program.
Jumps Group:
Noah Brannon (Franklin HS – Franklin, N.C.)
PR's: High Jump - 6-4
Coach Notes: A local product, Noah brings some quality depth to our high jump program this next year. He developed well this past spring at Franklin High and will look to continue that development this upcoming year.
Daniel Coronell (North Henderson HS – Fletcher, N.C.)
PR's: High Jump – 6-8, Long Jump – 21-10
Coach Notes: A Western North Carolina product, Daniel was the North Carolina 3A State runner-up in the high jump to future Catamount teammate Josh Flack, Daniel brings a high-level high jumper to our program this year. Combined with our other jumpers, we're excited to see what Daniel will be able to accomplish this upcoming year with further refinement to his high jump and building out his other events.
Josh Flack (Enka HS – Candler, N.C.)
PR's: High Jump – 6-10, Long Jump – 22-5.75, Triple Jump – 43-4
Coach Notes: The North Carolina 3A State Champion in the high jump, Josh brings an immediate impact for the program and to the Southern Conference. His ability to contribute to all three jumps will make him a valuable asset as we look to build out the depth needed to compete for conference team titles.
Throws Group:
Anthony Hawkins, Jr. (Hickory Grove Baptist Christian School – Charlotte, N.C.)
PR's: Shot Put – 51-9.25, Discus – 157-2.25
Coach Notes: A solid addition to our throws group, Anthony brings some great depth and quality to our field events, especially during the outdoor season. We'll work on developing him further for the indoor events to help further impact the team.
Distance Group:
Jacob Campbell (Fleming Island HS – Fleming Island, Fla.)
PR's: 1,600m – 4:25; 3,200m – 9:28; 5K – 15:41
Coach Notes: Jacob is very excited about joining Catamount Nation this year. He's a solid student-athlete from the Sunshine State who will help us cover some of the losses we had this past year due to graduation. He'll be looked at early in his career to contribute to the program.
Eli Clonch (West Henderson HS – Mills River, N.C.)
PR's: 1,600m – 4:27; 3,200m – 9:31; 5K – 15:53
Coach Notes: A local product, Eli comes to us from the Asheville area. He's got some range and will be looked at to contribute early and often in his career here at WCU. Cross country and the longer distances will be his forte as he develops within the program.
Samuel Corso (Decatur HS – Decatur, Ga.)
PR's: 1,600m – 4:19; 3,200m – 9:30; 5K – 15:48
Coach Notes: A great addition to the program and one of our earlier commitments, Samuel developed well this past year, making some significant jumps in fitness. If he can carry that over to the collegiate scene, he could find himself being a solid Southern Conference-level student-athlete during his career.
Matthias Peterson (Northwest Nelson HS – Roanoke, Texas)
PR's: 1,600m – 4:12; 3,200m – 8:55; 5K – 14:51
Coach Notes: The highlight of our distance class, Matthias was an early target who bought into the vision of our distance program and his role within the Catamount track program in helping us win team titles. Probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest, distance student-athlete to ever sign with Western Carolina, Matthias has big goals and is excited to help advance the entire program moving forward.
Alexander Ruge (The Bolles School – Jacksonville, Fla.)
PR's: 1,600m – 4:23, 3,200m – 9:53, 5K – 15:35
Coach Notes: A solid addition, that once healthy, will be looked at to make some significant jumps in fitness to help add some depth to our distance program moving forward. His potential is there, and we're excited to help him reach his goals moving forward.
Jaleb Saunders (Eleanor Roosevelt HS – Cheverly, Md.)
PR's: 1,600m – 4:16, 3,200m – 9:21, 5K – 15:16
Coach Notes: Jaleb is someone who sought out WCU early in the recruiting process. Once committed, he made some significant jumps in fitness this past spring, highlighted by his 1,600m and 3,200m PR's that should put him in the mix immediately within the Southern Conference.
Bradley White (Northwood University / Clare HS – Clare, Mich.)
PR's: 800m – 1:53; 1,600m – 4:17; 3,200m – 9:31; 5K – 15:31, 8K – 25:47
Coach Notes: A transfer student who will be looked at to replace recently graduated student-athletes John Davis and Henry Stecher, Bradley gives us an immediate impact in the middle-distance events, while also being someone who will be looked at to contribute in the longer events this fall.
