Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina track and field returns to familiar ground as it hosts the 2026 Catamount Classic, presented by The Everson, at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex.
Originally scheduled as a two-day meet, the meet was condensed into one day in anticipation of inclement weather in the area on Saturday. The Catamount Classic, presented by The Everson, is now scheduled for Friday, April 24, beginning at 10 a.m., with the final scheduled event under the lights at 8:45 p.m.
Friday's action will be livestreamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with the broadcast beginning at 3 p.m., alongside the opening of events on the track.
A combined 10 teams will see the track this weekend, with a handful of Southern Conference teams in attendance. Joining WCU are The Citadel, ETSU, and Wofford, each looking to get reps on the Catamount home track before the upcoming SoCon Outdoor Championships (May 11-12). Future SoCon member Tennessee Tech will also be in attendance, along with student-athletes from Gardner-Webb, Mars Hill, North Georgia, Tusculum, and UNC Asheville, rounding out the field.
Friday will also serve as WCU's senior day, with the Catamounts honoring 23 seniors for their careers in Cullowhee. The senior ceremony is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. on the track, with Elias Barton, Jessica Connole, Dominick Dale, Landey Green, Jasmine Greene, Ethan Hibberts, Amaya Hicks, Jackson Livingston, Sydney Lowe, Shaneil Lysight, Langston McCovery, Riley McKinney, Sadler Miller, Grant Parham, Painter Richards-Baker, Toria Roundtree, Kamdyn Swartz, Raelyn Vadala, Nathan Williams, Justin Hayes, Jasmine Smith, Amilliana Simmons, and Joshuah Glyn-Williams taking part in the ceremony.
Friday's Meet:
2026 Catamount Classic, presented by The Everson
April 24, 2026 | Catamount Athletic Complex | Cullowhee, N.C.
Watch ESPN: https://tinyurl.com/44ddbju5
Results: https://tinyurl.com/yepzp3kn
Catamounts to Watch:
Western Carolina enters its home event as the top seed in nine events, split across three field events and six on the track. Jackson Livingston, Ericka Jackson, and Josh Flack enter with the top marks in the men's and women's javelin throws and the high jump, respectively.
CJ McFerrin leads the field in the 110m hurdles, with Shaneil Lysight and Christian Roberts pacing their respective 400m hurdles. Cymoria Thomas enters the day with the top 200m time.
Justin Hayes rides in with the top mark in the 3,000m steeplechase, while the quartet of Painter Richards-Baker, Trevor Williams, Elias Barton, and Nadir Stukes is the favorite in the 4x400m relay.
Additionally, the Catamounts lead the Southern Conference in five events, pacing the conference in the women's 4x100m Relay, the women's triple jump, the men's discus, the women's discus, and the women's javelin throw.
Jasmine Greene, Raelyn Vadala, and Octavia Massena are ranked first through third in the triple jump, with Toria Roundtree and Ericka Jackson leading the league in the discus and javelin throw, respectively.
Jada Erwin, Cymoria Thomas, Shaniya Shirley, and Emma Goins hold the top time in the conference with a 45.93s in the 4x100m relay, which they clocked at the Duke Invitational.
Freshman Anthony Hawkins Jr. closes out the WCU conference leaders with a 47.90m toss in the men's discus after his performance at the Southside Power & Fitness Invitational.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina returns to action as Cullowhee plays host to the 2026 Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 11-12. The Catamounts look to notch qualifying performances in the final scheduled meets of the season before the postseason begins on May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky., at the 2026 NCAA Southeast Regionals.
