Mill Springs, N.C. – Led by a pair of event wins coming in the women's pole vault by freshman Morgan Edwards and in the women's high jump by senior Sadler Miller, the Western Carolina track & field teams opened the Tryon International Winter Invitational with strong performances on Friday. The Catamounts collected six top-five finishes, with event wins by Miller and Edwards marking the first Catamount top placements of the season.
Miller was the only student-athlete in the field to clear 1.68m in the women's high jump, doing so on her third and final attempt. The mark currently stands as the second-best in the Southern Conference and is the senior's best clear of the season so far.
Edwards earned her first career event win with a 3.45m clear in the women's pole vault, one of three to clear the height, including Wofford's Olivia Burroughs. However, Edwards did so on her second attempt at the bar, earning the tiebreaker over Burroughs and Anderson's Avery Marshall, who cleared on their third tries.
A pair of Catamount freshmen took second-place finishes on the day as Celia Gully recorded 3,171 points in her first collegiate pentathlon and Josh Flack posted a 1.95m clear in the men's high jump. Gully's performance was the best among freshmen in the event, while Flack sits tied for fourth in the SoCon in the high jump with the clear. Fellow freshman Daniel Coronell also posted a top-five finish in the event, clearing 1.95m, though Flack had the tiebreaker advantage for placement.
Additionally, Austin Cline took a fourth-place finish in the men's weight throw with a 17.69m toss, hitting a new PR in the event by nearly a full meter. Cline had three attempts to break the 17.0m barrier, hitting his new PR on his sixth and final throw.
The Catamounts return for day two of the Tryon International Winter Invitational on Saturday, with the men's heptathlon beginning at 9 a.m. Ethan Hibberts currently sits second in the event with 2,593 points and is followed by Bennett Whitefield (3rd – 2,567), Colby Capps (8th – 2,356), and Dakota Braucher (10th – 2,328) with three events to go.
Friday's Top Catamount Performances:
Morgan Edwards – 1st Pole Vault (3.45m)
Sadler Miller – 1st High Jump (1.68m)
Celia Gully – 2nd Pentathlon (3171)
Josh Flack – 2nd High Jump (1.95m)
Austin Cline – 4th Weight Throw (17.69m)
Daniel Coronell – 5th High Jump (1.95m)
Kendal Hudson – 6th Pentathlon (3019)
Bella Hilleary – 6th Pole Vault (3.30m)
Current Heptathlon standings:
Ethan Hibberts – 2nd (2593)
Bennett Whitefield – 3rd (2567)
Colby Capps – 8th (2356)
