Mill Springs, N.C. – Led by an outstanding performance by Austin Cline, the Western Carolina track and field teams showed out at its final event at the Tryon International Indoor Complex, taking an event win and 12 top-five finishes at the crowded one-day ECE Banked is Best Invitational.

Cline was the lone Catamount to post an event win on the day, doing so in the men's shot put with a toss of 16.21m. A personal best mark in the event, the 16.21m launch is tied for the fourth-best attempt in program history with Ryan Pless's throw at the 2011 Kentucky Invitational.

Cline currently leads the Southern Conference in the shot put, and added a second-place finish in the men's weight throw with a 17.56m attempt. Cline is the only student-athlete in the Southern Conference with a throw over 17m in the weight throw, though his 17.56m attempt is his second-best of the season behind his 17.69m mark at the Tryon Winter Invitational.

Also, for the Catamounts, Kolton Weaver (15.09m) and Anthony Hawkins Jr. (14.09m) performed well in the men's throws, taking second and fifth in the shot put. Toria Roundtree led the women's throws squad with a 15.03m attempt in the weight throw, taking fourth.

Outside of the WCU throws team, the Catamount distance runners posted strong finishes in the men's 3,000m and the women's 5,000m runs. Freshman Eli Clonch set a new personal record (PR) in the 3000m, finishing 3rd with an 8:39.07 finish. Matthias Peterson took fourth, finishing only .55 seconds behind Clonch (8:39.62), with Chase Thurber taking fifth with a time of 8:41.27. Jessica Connole took fifth in the 5,000m thanks to a PR time of 18:26.22.

Up Next for The Catamounts:

The Catamounts have the week off from meet competition but are set to return to the track for the Liberty-hosted Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational on Feb. 13-14, in Lynchburg, Va. WCU then heads back to Virginia for the 2026 Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Lexington, Va., on Feb. 27-28.

Top Catamount Event Performances: 

Austin Cline – 1st Shot Put (16.21m) 

Austin Cline – 2nd Weight Throw (17.56m) 

Kolton Weaver – 2nd Shot Put (15.09m) 

Morgan Edwards – 3rd Pole Vault (3.55m) 

Eli Clonch – 3rd 3000m (8:39.07) 

Toria Roundtree – 4th Weight Throw (15.03m) 

Matthias Peterson – 4th 3000m (8:39.62) 

Painter Richards-Baker – 4th 60mH (8.26s) 

Chase Thurber – 5th 3000m (8:41.27) 

Jessica Connole – 5th 5000m (18:26.22) 

Raelyn Vadala – 5th Long Jump (5.57m) 

Anthony Hawkins Jr. - 5th Shot Put (14.09m) 

Bold – Personal Best | Italics – Season Best