Asheville, N.C. – Western Carolina track and field had several impressive performances during Friday's first day of the Big South vs. SoCon Conference Challenge, claiming five of a possible six first-place finishes to open the event being held at UNC Asheville's on-campus Karl Haus Track.
WCU's Lexie Durban, Austin Cline, Ericka Jackson, Jackson Livingston, and Madeline Hladik all claimed event wins in their respective events, with Catamounts additionally placing second in four of those same events.
The Catamounts return to action in Asheville on Saturday as the women's discus is slated for a 9 a.m. start. Event coverage on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) begins at 1 p.m.
Lexie Durban opened the day with an event win in the women's hammer throw, as the sophomore was the only student-athlete with an attempt further than 46 meters. She set a personal record with a 49.34m toss to secure the win. Durban was followed in the order by Emmie Finley, who took second with a 44.84m attempt.
Similarly, Austin Cline took first in the men's hammer throw with a personal record of 54.91m. Cline was already fifth in the WCU top five performance list, but furthered his season's best with the try. Dominick Dale claimed second in the event with a 48.18m throw on his second attempt.
Jackson Livingston led the men's team in the javelin throw, securing first with a 54.57m launch on his fifth throw of the day. Dale added to his solid opening-day performance with a second-place showing in the javelin as well. Livingston and Dale were the only student-athletes with throws over 52 meters in the event. Dale took second with a 52.04m attempt, while Winthrop's Boyd Brackett was third with a 45.78m toss.
After earning a win in the javelin throw last week during the USA invite, Ericka Jackson claimed her second consecutive event win in Asheville. Her best distance came on her final throw, winning the event with a 41.11m attempt, the only entrant with a mark over 40 meters, which she broke on four of her six attempts.
On the track, Madeline Hladik made her WCU track and field debut, racing to the win in the 5,000m. Hladik missed the indoor season for the Catamounts, but made her impact felt immediately with an 18:29.75 finish to climb atop the podium. She was followed by Braelyn-Shae Wahy, who took second with a time of 18:46.73.
Chase Thurber posted the top Catamount finish in the men's 5,000m, setting a new PR with a 14:51.05 race. He now ranks fifth on WCU's all-time performance list, taking second in the event.
