Cullowhee, N.C. – Winter championship season opens this weekend, and the Catamount track and field teams are first in the blocks as the 2026 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28 in Lexington, Va. The two-day championship meet is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Friday and run through 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, at VMI's on-campus Corps Physical Training Facility.
The final day of the conference championships will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) beginning at 11:30 a.m. Live results throughout the weekend are available online through links at CatamountSports.com.
2026 SoCon Indoor Championships:
Friday, Feb. 27: 9 a.m. - 4:35 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Watch (ESPN+ - 11:30 a.m.): https://tinyurl.com/bd9em3uv
Live Results: https://tinyurl.com/5dy9w4t7
Teams (10): Chattanooga, The Citadel, ETSU, Furman, Mercer, Samford, UNC Greensboro, VMI, Western Carolina, Wofford
Catamounts to Watch:
Western Carolina enters the Championship holding strong positioning across several events in the SoCon, particularly in the throws. Lexie Durban leads the SoCon in the women's weight throw with a 15.78m toss, with Toria Roundtree sitting second with a 15.03m mark. Ericka Jackson ranks second in the shot put with a 12.80m attempt in the event.
Austin Cline leads the men's throws squad in the weight throw and the shot put. The junior Catamount ranks second in both events with a 16.21m shot put and a 17.69m weight throw.
In the jumps, the Catamounts rank third and fourth in the women's and men's high jump. Dual-sport student-athlete Sadler Miller ranks third in the event with a 1.68m clear this season, while freshman Daniel Coronell ranks fourth with a 2.01m clear as one of only five athletes in the conference with a clear over 2.00m.
On the track, the Catamounts are led by distance runners Katherine Hopkins and Bradley White. Hopkins is one of four Catamounts to earn SoCon weekly honors this season (Kolton Weaver, Ian Hicks, Lexie Durban), while Bradley White is hitting his stride in recent weeks, leaping up to second in the all-time performance list for the mile and fifth in the 800m.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The 2026 indoor track and field season concludes with the NCAA National Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. on March 13-14, if anyone qualifies. The Catamounts are scheduled to open the 2026 outdoor track & field season with the South Alabama Outdoor Invitational in Mobile, Ala. on those same dates.
