April 18, 2008

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Cullowhee, N.C. - In its final tune-up before the 2008 Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships next weekend, Western Carolina posted numerous top performances, including 10 regional qualifying times, at the Catamount Classic Track & Field Invitational held Friday afternoon at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex (CAC).

All told, WCU captured 22 first-place finished at the event which featured athletes from six different schools. A total of three CAC facility records fell including both men's and women's 4x100-meter relay, as well as the women's 800-meter run - each of which was set by Western Carolina student-athletes.

Senior Kerrie Savery led three Catamounts among the top four finishers in the women's 800-meter run clocking a facility record time of 2:10.54 to just edge Amanda Chase, who was running unattached. Savery's time - her best of the season - broke the track record by nearly two seconds. Juniors Megan Isaacs (2:15.68) and Annie Bailey (2:17.07) finished third and fourth, respectively.

Another senior, Raquel Ramseur, qualified for the regional in the 200-meter dash despite stumbling out of the starting block. The Charlotte, N.C., native fell to the ground after the starting gun fired, but managed to rally to edge freshman Jane't Carothers with a 23.77, ahead of the qualifying standard of 23.96.

In the relay events, Western Carolina posted a pair of automatic regional qualifying times while also breaking their own two-year old facility records. The women's 4x100-meter relay squad of Ramseur, Tangelia Johson, Jane't Carothers and Felicia Paulding, turned a hot lap in 45.56 to eclipse the former benchmark by nearly two-tenths of a second. The men's 4x100-meter relay squad of Kevin Johnson, Zeb Johnson, Dominique Young and Manteo Mitchell posted the second-quickest time in school history while also setting a facility record, tripping the tape in 40-seconds flat.

Additional qualifying times for Western were posted in both the men and women's 100-meter dash events. Senior Tangelia Johnson edged freshman teammate, Felicia Paulding, by four, one-hundredths of a second (11.75-to-11.79) to win the shortest dash event with Johnson's time tying the qualifying standard. On the men's side, sophomore Dominique Young bested teammate Christian Bethune with a qualifying mark of 10.49 in the 100-meter dash to claim first place.

In the 200-meter dash, junior Manteo Mitchell - who has already qualified as a part of both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams, as well as the 200 and 400-meter dashes - again eclipsed the standard with a 21.07 time to win the 200-meter event. Senior Zeb Johnson, who like Mitchell was on the 4x100-meter relay team earlier in the day, edged fellow Catamounts Thomas Funderburke (2nd, 48.78) and Jeff Reinke (3rd, 49.79) to win the 400-meter dash with a fast-lap of 46.66 to regionally qualify in the event.

Sophomore Matt Evans continue his strong outdoor season with a first-place finish in the javelin throw, edging out former All-SoCon selection, senior David Bowles (57.27), by nearly six full meters. Evans, a native of Old Fort, N.C., posted a mark of 63.03 to qualify for regional for a second time in the event, with teammate Chris Page placing third (49.96m).

Rounding out the regional qualifying marks from Friday was junior Daniel Joseph who leaped 15.09 meters (49-6.25) in the men's triple jump to defeat teammate Rashad Herndon (14.02m).

Western Carolina now turns its attention to the 2008 SoCon Outdoor Men's & Women's Track & Field Championships, which it will host next Saturday and Sunday in Cullowhee. It is the second time in the Catamount Athletic Complex history that the conference champions have been crowned at the facility with the first coming back in 2005. The Catamounts are the defending men's and women's indoor conference champion and will look to sweep the season.

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