Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina track and field head coach Jesse Norman was today named the 2026 Southern Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Head Coach of the Year, as selected by his peers across the league. The award is the second SoCon honor for Norman, and his third career annual coaching honor.

Norman's award comes following the Western Carolina women's track and field team's championship performance, where the Catamounts just outpaced Samford, 182.5-to-175.5, to claim their 11th title in program history. Both the 2026 team title and Women's Coach of the Year honors are WCU's first since the 2018 championship run, when the Catamounts – led by 2018 Women's Coach of the Year Cale McDaniel – downed Samford 193-161.

WCU has collected 10 SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Women's Coach of the Year honors, with WCU Hall of Famer Danny Williamson earning the award eight times throughout his 29-year tenure. Norman is the third WCU track and field coach to earn the recognition, joining Williamson and McDaniel.  

The Catamount coaching staff, consisting of Norman and assistant coaches Gillian Urycki and Daniel Haakenson, guided the WCU women's team to five individual championships across the sprints, throws, and jumps, with Cymoria Thomas sweeping the 100m and 200m sprint events, Toria Roundtree and Emmie Finley claiming the discus and hammer crowns, and Jasmine Greene reclaiming her triple jump SoCon title.

Additionally, the Catamounts earned 13 podium performances and had 38 point-scoring performances across 17 of the 21 possible events held at the on-campus Catamount Athletics Complex.  

Keep track of everything related to Catamount track & field and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports) and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountxctf).