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Western Carolina, Samford win indoor titles
LEXINGTON, Va. – Western Carolina won its sixth straight men's title and Samford won its fourth straight women's crown Sunday at the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at VMI's Corps Physical Training Facility. Western Carolina's Trini Feggett earned the Heath Whittle Award as the men's Most Outstanding Athlete and Samford's Selena Popp earned her second consecutive women's Most Outstanding Athlete award.
Three meet records fell Sunday, with Samford’s Karisa Nelson claiming two of them and Furman’s Savannah Carnahan adding her second of the weekend.
Western Carolina and Samford also led their respective team races after day one of the championship, with both sides holding off the other school’s gender counterparts on day two.
WCU’s men posted 165.5 points on the weekend, while Samford finished runner-up for the fifth straight year with 138.5 points. Furman totaled 90 points to finish third, its highest finish since a third-place showing in 1983. ETSU was just one point back in fourth, followed by The Citadel (75), Wofford (48), VMI (44) and UNCG (11).
Samford’s women totaled 172 points, with the Catamounts turning in 140 to finish as the runners-up for the fourth straight season. ETSU was third with 104 points, with Furman (91), Wofford (78), VMI (46), Chattanooga (27) and The Citadel (five) rounding out the scoring.
Nelson did her part to keep the Bulldogs in front, turning in a time of 4:38.23 to lower her own meet record (4:43.96) in the mile from 2017, the year she won NCAA and SoCon titles in the event. Furman’s Gabbi Jennings (4:40.51) finished second and Wofford’s Hannah Steelman (4:43.14) was third as all three came in under Nelson’s old standard.
Later the in the day, Nelson reset the meet record in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.10, erasing the old mark of 2:08.40 set by SoCon Hall of Famer Mary Jayne Harrelson of Appalachian State in 2001.
Samford sophomore Tally Wilson won the title in the pole vault with a leap of 3.85 meters, and classmate Morayo Bhadmos took gold in the triple jump with a mark of 12.32 meters. With the title long since locked up, the Bulldogs put an exclamation point on the day with a win in the 4x400-meter relay, with Popp running the anchor leg to earn her third gold medal of the weekend.
Coupled with wins in the pentathlon and high jump, Popp turned in 28.5 points in the meet en route to earning Most Outstanding Athlete honors.
Furman’s Carnahan, who set a meet record in the 3,000-meter run Saturday, captured her third straight title in the 5,000-meter run Sunday, doing so in a record time of 16:22.16. The Paladins scored 34 points in the event, sweeping the top five spots.
Wofford won three women’s titles Sunday, with McLeod Dean winning the 60-meter dash in 7.52 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 24.28 and Amber Lust winning the 60-meter hurdles in 8.54. Western Carolina claimed two gold medals, with freshman Victoria Solheim winning the weight throw with a toss of 18.52 meters and Kellsie Whitehead taking the 400-meter dash in 55.69 seconds.
On the men’s side, the Bulldogs rallied early on the day, scoring 27 points in the 60-meter hurdles and adding 15 when the heptathlon went final to take a four-point lead over WCU at 91.5-87.5. Freshman Titus Moore led a podium sweep in the 60mH, winning in 8.06 seconds. Teammate Jack McHugh was second, followed by Emmanuel Tait in third. Thomas Ozburn Jr. earned eight points with his runner-up finish in the heptathlon, and freshman Ty Kimberlin added four with his fifth-place finish to push Samford ahead.
The Catamounts, who got Dijoun Huitt’s triple jump win and 19 points in the event to start the day, answered emphatically, scoring 23 points in the 400-meter dash to retake the lead, with Devaniel Dale (48.09) and Chace Washington-Saunders (48.13) going 1-2 and Miles Greer (49.57) finishing fourth.
The Catamounts pulled away from there. WCU got a win from Feggett (21.48) and had three others score in the 200-meter run. Western Carolina punctuated the team title with its eighth straight win in the 4x400-meter relay, as Washington-Saunders, Dale, Greer and Feggett combined to run 3:18.78.
Like Popp, Feggett won three gold on the weekend and totaled 28.5 points.
Furman’s men won three individual crowns on the day, starting with a podium sweep in the mile, as Jake Ogden (4:19.15), Ryan Adams (4:19.78) and Cameron Ponder (4:30.23) went 1-2-3. Ryan Adams won his second title in three years in the 800-meter run (1:53.18) and Frank Lara successfully defended his title in the 5,000-meter run in 14:88.66.
The Citadel’s Josiah Johnson also made it two titles in a row, turning in a time of 6.76 second in the 60-meter dash, while ETSU’s Ben Johnson won his second straight crown in the weight throw with a toss of 21.60 meters. He also won the shot put on Saturday to complete the weekend sweep in the throws.
Wofford’s Conrad Heinrich won the heptathlon with 4,810 points and Samford’s Matt Cahoon won the high jump with a leap of 2.05 meters.
Western Carolina’s Dakota Wright won his second straight Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the top grade point average on the winning team. Samford’s Bekah Pfitzer won her second Pinnacle Award in three years.
The NCAA will announce the field for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships on Tuesday.
Men’s results – Final
1. Western Carolina – 165.5 points
2. Samford – 138.5
3. Furman – 90
4. ETSU – 89
5. The Citadel – 75
6. Wofford – 48
7. VMI – 44
8. UNCG – 11
Women’s results – Final
1. Samford – 172 points
2. Western Carolina – 140
3. ETSU – 104
4. Furman – 91
5. Wofford – 78
6. VMI – 46
7. Chattanooga – 27
8. The Citadel – 5
9. UNCG – 0
Heath Whittle Award (Men’s Most Outstanding Athlete)
Trini Feggett, Western Carolina
Women’s Most Outstanding Athlete
Selena Popp, Samford
Men’s Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Dakota Wright, Western Carolina
Women’s Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Bekah Pfitzer, Samford
Day 2 champions
Men: Triple jump Dijoun Huitt, Western Carolina (15.12 meters); mile Jake Ogden, Furman (4:19.15); 60-meter hurdles Titus Moore, Samford (8.06); 60-meter dash Josiah Johnson, The Citadel (6.76); heptathlon Conrad Heinrich, Wofford (4,810 points); 400-meter dash Devaniel Dale, Western Carolina (48.09); 800-meter run Ryan Adams, Furman (1:53.18); 200-meter dash Trini Feggett, Western Carolina (21.48); weight throw Ben Johnson, ETSU (21.60 meters); 5,000-meter run Frank Lara, Furman (14:18.66); high jump Matt Cahoon, Samford (2.05 meters); 4x400-meter relay Chace Washington-Saunders, Devaniel Dale, Miles Greer, Trini Feggett, Western Carolina (3:18.78).
Women: Mile Karisa Nelson, Samford (4:38.23*); weight throw Victoria Solheim, Western Carolina (18.52 meters); 60-meter hurdles Amber Lust, Wofford (8.54); 60-meter dash McLeod Dean, Wofford (7.52); 400-meter dash Kellsie Whitehead, Western Carolina (55.69); 800-meter run Karisa Nelson, Samford (2:06.10*); 200-meter dash McLeod Dean, Wofford (24.28); pole vault Tally Wilson, Samford (3.85 meters); triple jump Morayo Bhadmos, Samford (12.32 meters); 5,000-meter run Savannah Carnahan, Furman (16:22.61*); 4x400-meter relay Sarah Sanford, Hannah Lueders, Vada Samuels, Selena Popp, Samford (3:50.90).
* meet record
Men’s All-Freshman – Day 2
Men’s weight throw
Adam Hart, Western Carolina
Kolin Miller, ETSU
Ethan Brown, Samford
Men’s mile
Cameron Ponder, Furman
Colin Alexander, UNCG
Andre Jordan, VMI
Men’s 60-meter hurdles
Titus Moore, Samford
Keefe White, The Citadel
Men’s 60-meter dash
Trini Feggett, Western Carolina
Carden Williams, The Citadel
Titus Moore, Samford
Men’s 400-meter dash
Jordan Woodbine, Samfrod
Johnnie Walker, VMI
Rafael Mas, VMI
Men’s 800-meter run
Seth Corey, Samford
Adam Waite, VMI
Nicholas Thoma, UNCG
Men’s 200-meter dash
Trini Feggett, Western Carolina
Blaine Ashton, VMI
Jordin Poindexter, VMI
Men’s triple jump
Blaine Ashton, VMI
Ty Kimberlin, Samford
Tyler Hanks, Western Carolina
Men’s 5,000-meter run
Thomas Knepshield, UNCG
Andre Jordan, VMI
Dalton Miles, UNCG
Men’s heptathlon
Ty Kimberlin, Samford
Max Burke, VMI
Men’s high jump
Justin Stuckey, Samford
Dakota Oxendine, Western Carolina
Tyler Hanks, Western Carolina
Women’s All-Freshman – Day 2
Triple jump
Mekayla Brown, ETSU
Aliyah Hill, ETSU
Khiara White, ETSU
Women’s mile
Lindsey Stallworth, ETSU
Genevieve Schwarz, ETSU
Chandler McCaslin, UNCG
Women’s 60-meter hurdles
Destiny Shipp, Wofford
Charnessa Reid, Western Carolina
Lanaya Martin, ETSU
Women’s 60-meter dash
Lanaya Martin, ETSU
Mekayla Brown, ETSU
Ingrid Joseph, VMI
Women’s 400-meter dash
Eliza Brooks, VMI
Vada Samuels, Samford
Ahliyah Williams, VMI
Women’s 800-meter run
Peyton Wood, Western Carolina
Sammy Trone, Furman
Women’s 200-meter dash
Ingrid Joseph, VMI
Eliza Brooks, VMI
Vada Samuels, Samford
Women’s weight throw
Victoria Solheim, Western Carolina
Stephanie Jones, VMI
Women’s pole vault
McKenna Dunn, VMI
Carter Unger, Western Carolina
Mary Kellison Thorne, Samford
Women’s 5,000-meter run
Shila Kapaya, ETSU
Kathryn Anderson, UNCG
Sara Belamarich, VMI