Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina track and field returns to action this weekend in Virginia for the 12th annual Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational in the final tune-up before the Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship. The two-day meet is hosted by Liberty University and opens Friday, Feb. 13, at 1:40 p.m. before concluding on Saturday, Feb. 14, with the final event starting at 4:25 p.m.
The first of two consecutive meets in the Commonwealth of Virginia sees the Catamounts compete against student-athletes from 35 schools, including a pair of SoCon foes in ETSU and VMI.
Both days of the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with Friday's broadcast window running from 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. and Saturday's going from Noon to 4 p.m.
Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational
Friday, Feb. 13: 1:40 p.m. - 9:25 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+): 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. ONLY): https://tinyurl.com/4f7662xt
Saturday, Feb. 14: 8:30 a.m. - 4:25 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+ - Noon - 4 p.m. ONLY): https://tinyurl.com/5n7js5t6
Teams (35): American, Campbell, Charleston (W.V.), Charlotte, Davis & Elkins, ETSU, Eastern Mennonite, Elon, George Mason, James Madison, Liberty, Longwood, Lynchburg, Marshall, Morgan State, Navy, NC State, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Queens, Radford, Richmond, Shippensburg, Southern Virginia, Towson, UMBC, UNC Asheville, UNC Wilmington, VCU, Virginia, VMI, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, William & Mary
Catamounts to Watch:
The Catamounts should see action against a strong field of athletes throughout the two days of competition. Noah Brannon is the top-seeded Catamount in Virginia, as he enters competition ranked second in the men's high jump open, with Daniel Coronell seeded fourth.
McCary Beaty and Leah Butler are both the third seed in their respective 400m races, with Beaty leading the Catamounts in the open and Butler leading the squad in the invite. Elijah Cochran (4th – Long Jump), Daniel Coronell (5th – Long Jump), Jessica Connole (5th – 3000m), and Elias Barton (5th – 400m Open) round out the WCU top-five seeds entering competition.
Additionally, the Catamount relay squads will see their first competition of the season with Elias Barton, Ian Hicks, Delton Jones, and Trevor Williams competing as WCU's Men's "A" Team and Christian Roberts, Bradley White, Chase Thurber, and Jaleb Saunders competing as the "B" team. Leah Butler, McCary Beaty, Jada Erwin, and Kyndal Saunders lead WCU's women's team, with Gabrielle Harris, Shaneil Lysight, Cymoria Thomas, and Shaniyah Shirley competing on the "B" squad.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU has a week away from competition before returning to Virginia for the 2026 SoCon Indoor Championships in Lexington. The conference championships run from Feb. 27 – 28.
The NCAA National Championships are set for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark., with the Catamounts scheduled to open the 2026 outdoor season in Mobile, Ala. at the South Alabama Invitational on those same dates.
