Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's Lexie Durban was today named the Southern Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week, marking a second consecutive week that a Catamount has been in the weekly spotlight. The sophomore was recognized for her performances in the weight throw and the shot put at the Tryon International Winter Invitational.
The weekly award is the second for Durban in her career. Last week, Ian Hicks and Kolton Weaver collected last week's track & field award, respectively.
A product of Ball Ground, Ga., Durban was a part of a strong team performance at the meet held in Mill Springs, N.C., where the Catamounts claimed five event wins and 24 top-five finishes.
Durban's best performance of the weekend came in the weight throw, as the reigning SoCon Female Indoor Field Athlete of the Year took a fourth-place finish with a personal record 15.78m toss. After just qualifying for the finals portion of the event on her third attempt, Durban hit her PR throw on her sixth and final attempt of the day. Her mark currently sits as the best throw in the SoCon by over a full meter.
Durban and the Catamounts have the weekend away from competition before returning to the Tryon International indoor facility on Jan. 30 for the ECE Banked is Best Invitational. WCU then heads to Virginia for the Liberty-hosted Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational on Feb. 13-14 before swinging up to Lexington, Va., for the 2026 SoCon Indoor Championships on Feb. 27-28.
