WCU sweeps Outdoor Track & Field Championships

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina swept the 2016 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, handily winning the men’s title and pulling out a back-and-forth women’s title in Friday’s final event at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The title sweep was the Catamounts’ first since 2013.

Western Carolina’s men finished with 245 points, 93 ahead of runner-up VMI, which entered the day in fourth place but finished with its best finish in school history. The Catamount women finished with 255 points, a scant 3.5 ahead of Samford’s 251.5. VMI’s Jordan White was named the men’s Most Outstanding Athlete, while WCU’s Hailey Cook and Samford’s Sarah Sanford tied for the women’s award.

The women’s title race was a dramatic one, as it came down to the 4x400-meter relay after Western Carolina and Samford traded the lead for much of the day. The Catamounts entered the day’s final event with a 1.5-point lead over the Bulldogs, as Cook’s win in the shot put WCU back in the lead with just the relay to go.

The WCU sprinters took over from there, as Tayla Carter, Dasha Arnaut, Corina Archie-McMillan and BriAnna Adams bolted out to the win in 3:45.30, well ahead of runner-up Samford, which finished in 3:51.94.

The team title was Western Carolina’s second straight and ninth overall. Carter capped her brilliant career with wins in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay for the second straight season. She won the 100m and 200m in each of her four seasons of competition.

Day two of the meet began with the conclusion of the multis. Western Carolina’s Holly Gaines successfully defended her 2015 title in the heptathlon, picking up 4,748 points across the seven events to grab the Catamounts’ first team points of the day. Samford took the next two spots on the podium, as freshman Selena Popp finished second with 4,595 points and Jordan Highsmith was third with 4,437.

Gaines was remarkably consistent throughout the heptathlon, finishing either first or second in five of the events. She won the 200 meters on Thursday and claimed the javelin Friday.

The Catamounts, who entered the day with a 13-point lead in the team race, added another win in the 4x100-meter relay, as Mia Little, Carter, Adams and Tiffani Lewis brought the hardware back to Cullowhee for the second straight season. The squad stopped the clock in 45.84 seconds, more than a full second ahead of second-place Samford.

Samford stormed into the team lead with strong showings in the next two events. Courtney Prengaman won the high jump with a mark of 1.72 meters, followed by 2015 champion Anisia Starege of WCU. The Bulldogs then took the lead (119.5-111) by taking three of the top six spots in the 1,500-meter run, with Karisa Nelson picking up the win in 4:28.40. Teammate Emma Gardner finished third and Ansley Bos was sixth. Defending champion Allie Buchalski of Furman finished second in 4:30.70.

The Bulldogs extended their lead in the 100-meter hurdles, taking two of the top three spots. ETSU freshman Kyra Atkins won the event in 13.42 seconds, but she was followed by Samford’s Sanford (13.55) and Kimberly Ruch (13.55) as the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 22.5 points after 11 events.

The Catamounts made up some ground in the 400-meter dash, despite Sanford claiming the event with a time of 55.32 seconds. WCU took the next four spots, however, cutting its deficit to 13.5 points after 12 events. The gap remained the same after the discus, won by Cook with a throw of 45.36, but Samford had the next two finishers in Ruby Caldwell and Jayci Floyd.

WCU continued to surge in the 100-meter dash, as senior Carter made it a four-peat with her win in 11.58 seconds. Adams finished third in 11.81 as the Catamounts drew within 2.5 team points at 174.5-172.

The Catamounts finally reclaimed the team lead with Kaitlyn Lingard’s win in the 800-meter run, as the WCU freshman stopped the clock in 2:14.00, outsprinting Chattanooga’s Hannah Chamblin (2:14.27) to the finish. Samford’s Bos took third in 2:15.42. That pushed WCU’s total to 184 points, 3.5 clear of the Bulldogs.

Sanford won her second event of the day with a victory in the 400-meter hurdles, as she clocked a 1:00.06 to defend her 2015 title in the event. Teammate Victoria Wicks finished third in 1:02.28 as the Bulldogs pulled back in front in the team race, 199.5-196.

WCU’s Carter made it a sweep of the sprints with her fourth straight win in the 200-meter dash, turning in a time of 24.14 to complete the career sweep. Teammate Adams was second and Samford’s Tonia McKinley was third as WCU again reclaimed the team lead, 217-209.5.

The women’s triple jump benefitted from an infusion of new talent this year, as the top three finishers were freshmen, led by Wofford’s Alexandra Burgess, who posted a mark of 12.17 meters. She was followed by WCU’s Tamilia Wright and Samford’s Megan Meadow as the Catamounts stretched their lead back into double digits.

The Bulldogs would once again take the lead after the 5,000-meter run, as Nelson finished second and Garner sixth to grab 11 team points, while WCU was shut out in the event. Furman’s Buchalski won the event in 17:23.55.

Cook then put the Catamounts back on top to stay with her win in the shot put, turning in a throw of 14.71 meters. Samford’s Aerial Horton and Tatiana Taylor finished second and third, respectively, but WCU’s Kaycey Cermin was fourth as WCU pushed the score to 245-243.5 to set up the decisive relay.

The men’s race was without that drama, as what started out as a tight race quickly became a runaway. Western Carolina entered the day just one point behind Samford, but within the completion of Friday’s first two events, had a 19-point lead. The Catamounts took first and third in the decathlon before picking up a win the 4x100-meter relay.

The Catamounts’ Christian Carswell finished third or better in six of the 10 events in the decathlon, highlighted by a win in the high jump on Thursday. He turned in three top-three finishes Friday, taking second in the pole vault and third in the discus and javelin. He totaled 6,340 points for the win, while teammate Draven Crist finished third with 5,868 points as Western Carolina moved into the team lead.

WCU padded its advantage with a win in the 4x100, as Max Burke, Henry Kiedy, Dakota Lamont and Jermaine Lewis combined to turn in a time of 41.19. VMI finished second in 41.53, and The Citadel was third in 41.71.

VMI made a move up into second place with the completion of the men’s shot put, as Joel Hoisington won it with a heave of 17.18 meters and White finished third. Furman’s Jaylan Reid finished second.

Furman swept the top two spots in the 1,500-meter run, as Troy Reeder took first in 3:47.25, followed closely by teammate Ryan Adams in 3:48.90.

A trio of freshmen swept the podium in the men’s high jump, with WCU’s Tyrie Adams winning with a jump of 2.11 meters. Runner-up Jordan Scott of ETSU also cleared 2.11 meters, while Western Carolina’s Khalil Jackson was third at 2.05.

VMI picked up its second win of the afternoon with Davon Guerrier’s victory in the 110-meter hurdles, as the sophomore turned in a time of 14.35 seconds to edge The Citadel’s Malik Diggs (14.41).

Western Carolina took the top two spots in the 400-meter dash, with Keidy taking first in 47.23 and Lamont second in 47.31. Kiedy’s title was his second straight.

VMI earned another win in the 100-meter dash, with Greg Henderson stopping the clock in 10.578 seconds, just edging The Citadel’s Josiah Johnson, who posted a time of 10.579. The Keydets made it consecutive wins with Avery Martin’s victory in the 800-meter run (1:51.43), and after the 400-meter hurdles was contested, Henderson made it a sweep of the sprints with his win in the 200-meter dash in 21.71.

ETSU got in the win column with Mike Williams’ victory in the 400-meter hurdles, as he won in 51.81 to defend is 2015 title. Samford’s Javion Lee also defended a 2015 crown, winning the triple jump for the second straight season. He posted a mark of 15.03 meters.

Furman freshman Aaron Templeton completed his personal sweep in the distance events, winning the men’s 5,000-meter run Friday in 14:51.45 after winning the 10,000 meters Thursday. The Paladins took the top four spots in the 5,000, as Troy Reeder, Frank Lara and Josh Brickell followed Templeton.

Western Carolina put the finishing touches on its banner day with a win in the 4x400m relay, as Kiedy, Lamont, Dylan Andrade and Caleb Albrecht turned in a time of 3:13.99 to top The Citadel’s unit by nearly a full second.

Men’s results – Day 2
1. Western Carolina – 245 points
2. VMI – 152
2. Samford – 101
3. ETSU – 98
5. Furman – 94
6. The Citadel – 77
7. Wofford – 37
8. UNCG – 8

Women’s results – Day 2
1. Western Carolina – 255 points
2. Samford – 251.1
3. ETSU – 91.5
4. Furman – 45
5. VMI – 44
6. Chattanooga – 39
7. Wofford – 37
8. The Citadel – 29
9. Mercer – 13
10. UNCG – 7

Men’s Most Outstanding Athlete
Jordan White, VMI

Women’s Most Outstanding Athletes
Sarah Sanford, Samford
Hailey Cook, Western Carolina

Men’s All-Freshman – Day 2
Decathlon
Conrad Heinrich, Wofford
Draven Crist, Western Carolina
Levi Whitt, VMI

Men’s shot put
Jaylan Reid, Furman
Ja’lon Williams, The Citadel
Longinus Nnodim, Wofford

Men’s 1,500-meter run
Ryan Adams, Furman
Jay Broom, VMI
Owen Bailey, Samford

Men’s high jump
Tyrie Adams, Western Carolina
Jordan Scott, ETSU
Khalil Jackson, Western Carolina

Men’s 110-meter hurdles
Tyler Houston, ETSU
Devyn Montel Jones, Western Carolina
Brian Donna, VMI

Men’s 400-meter dash
Deondre Anderson, VMI
Tyler Jackson, The Citadel
Tyriuq Trotman, VMI

Men’s 100-meter dash
Josiah Johnson, The Citadel
Louis Lawrence, The Citadel
Josh Little, Western Carolina

Men’s 800-meter run
Joe Harbacevich, Wofford
Caleb Albrecht, Western Carolina
Ryan Adams, Furman

Men’s 400-meter hurdles
Dylan Andrade, Western Carolina
Devyn Montel Jones, Western Carolina
Brian Donna, VMI

Men’s 200-meter dash
Josiah Johnson, The Citadel
Josh Little, Western Carolina
Palmer Dupree, UNCG

Men’s triple jump
Jamie Brown, Western Carolina
Omar Wingo, Wofford
Quan Myers, VMI

Men’s 5,000-meter run
Aaron Templeton, Furman
Frank Lara, Furman
Ben Bryant, Samford

Men’s discus
Ja’lon Williams, The Citadel
Ben Johnson, ETSU
Dalton Sullivan, Wofford

Women’s All-Freshman – Day 2
Heptathlon
Selena Popp, Samford
Amber Lust, Wofford
Marisa Scott, Western Carolina

Women’s high jump
Selena Popp, Samford
Rebekah Fox, ETSU
Ashley Parker, Western Carolina

Women’s 1,500-meter run
Laura Sola Tari, Samford

Women’s 100-meter hurdles
Kyra Atkins, ETSU
Amber Lust, Wofford
Mackenzie Aydelette, Samford

Women’s discus
Ruby Caldwell, Samford
Jayci Floyd, Samford
Tiffany Quick, VMI

Women’s 400-meter dash
Dasha Arnaut, Western Carolina
Sally Woerner, Western Carolina
LeAndrea Combo, Wofford

Women’s 100-meter dash
BriAnna Adams, Western Carolina
Mia Little, Western Carolina
Kiana Davis, ETSU

Women’s 400-meter dash
Nidonna Nicholson, Western Carolina
Sarah Wilson, Wofford
Jessica Dunker, ETSU

Women’s 200-meter dash
BriAnna Adams, Western Carolina
Kiana Davis, ETSU
Mia Little, Western Carolina

Women’s triple jump
Alexandra Burgess, Wofford
Tamilia Wright, Western Carolina
Megan Meadow, Samford

Women’s 5,000-meter run
Kaitlyn Lingard, Western Carolina
Shannon McAndrew, Wofford
Rebeka Fadgyas, Wofford

Women’s shot put
Tatiana Taylor, Samford
Simone Williams, Western Carolina
Ruby Caldwell, Samford

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