May 6, 2002

Columbus, OH - The Western Carolina track and field team competed in the 17th-annual Jesse Owens Track Classic in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Sunday. The day also saw the stadium officially dedicated to Jesse Owens, the Ohio State and U.S. track legend.

While WCU didn't have any individual winners, there were several top five finishes. The women's 4x100 meter relay team A; consisting of Kamata Potts, Ashelyn Little, Cedea Bowden and Michelle Velez; came in fourth with a time of 47.32. Virginia LaCombe finished third in the high jump at 5' 7.75". Milton Bolton placed fourth in the men's 400 meter dash with a time of 47.31, which was his personal best. Caleb Bailey came in fourth in the 800 meter run at 1:49.38, which is a personal best and just .38 seconds short of the NCAA provisional qualifying time. Charles Rice tied for second in the pole vault with a vault of 16' 4.75", which ties the school record set by Ryan Lewis at the 1999 SoCon Championships.

WCU has two track meets left before the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which begin on May 30. The Catamounts travel to Clemson, S.C. on Saturday, May 11, for the Orange/Purple Classic then to Atlanta next week for the Georgia Tech Invitational, May 16-18.

Jesse Owens Track Classic
May 5, 2002
Western Carolina Results

Women
100m: 9th - Kamata Potts 12.34
400m: 11th - Leslie Martin 57.93 (personal best), 17th - Jennifer Spivey 59.79
1,500m: 6th - Holly Bright 4:48.03
4x100m relay: 4th - WCU Team A 47.32 (Potts, Little, Bowden, Velez)
4x400m relay: 6th - WCU Team A 3:56.52 (Martin, Bowden, Spivey, Megan Thacker)
High jump: 3rd - Virginia LaCombe 5' 7.75"
Pole vault: 7th - Laura Tieszen 11' 7.75", 8th-t - Michelle Velez 11' 7.75", 16th - Tricia Shepard 10' 8"
Triple jump: 6th - Virginia LaCombe 39' 7"

Men
100m: 9th - Tee Alford 10.63 (pb), 16th - James Rainer 10.72 (pb), 22nd - Darius Bryson 10.93 (pb)
400m: 4th - Milton Bolton 47.31 (pb), 17th - Michael Simmons 50.24 (pb)
800m: 4th - Caleb Bailey 1:49.38 (pb), 17th - Michael Simmons 1:57.59
1,500m: 13th - James Irwin 3:59.25 (pb)
4x100m relay: 7th - WCU Team A 41.13 (Rainer, Bryson, Bolton, Alford)
4x400m relay: 6th - WCU Team A 3:20.10 (Bolton, Bailey, Simmons, Bryson)
Pole vault: 2nd-t - Charles Rice 16' 4.75" (pb), 8th-t - Seajae Hartness 15' 5" (pb)
Javelin throw: 7th - Eric Wimpey 174' 10", 8th - Josh Langley 170' 2"