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 Senior Manteo Mitchell led the Catamounts Indoor Track & Field teams to another solid performance in the ASU Invitational Friday afternoon. |
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Dec. 5, 2008
Boone, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's and women's track teams kicked off the 2008-2009 indoor season with an overall solid performance at the Appalachian Invitational Friday afternoon at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C. The two teams combined to have five winners, 44 top-ten performances and 15 podium finishes, including a 1-2-3 WCU finish in the men's 800 meter run, led by junior Stephon Roach's winning time of 1:59.37 seconds.
Western's men squad paced the Catamounts with four individual first-place runs, including Manteo Mitchell breaking his Holmes Center-record from a year ago, with a 47.88 time in the 400-meter dash. Mitchell broke his own record by .22 seconds, with fellow teammates Benny Davis (5th) and John Oros (8th) posting top-ten finishes themselves. Dominique Young also took top honors for second year in a row with a victory in the 200-meter dash. Young was joined in the top-ten by freshman teammate Howard Thomson with a fifth place finish in his collegiate debut.
In the first two men's events on the day the Catamounts took fourth and fifth place respectively in the 55m Hurdles thanks to Jordan Blazer (4th), Christian Bethune (5th). Then in the second event WCU had two podium finishes in the 55 meter dash with Bethune second place finish followed by a third place run by Kevin Johnson.
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A couple of juniors helped the Catamounts in the men's shot put as Cale McDaniel took home a fourth place finish while Mike Osteen took home a fourth place finish as well in the men's pole vault event.
The Catamounts again placed two on the podium in the women's 400 meter dash, with sophomore Janet Carothers as the lone women's first place winner, and Shalyn McMichael taking home second place for the second year in a row. Carothers not only joined teammate Manteo Mitchell in the WCU sweep of the 400-meter dash, not to mention her time of 55.63 was a mere seven seconds ahead of her former teammate Raquel Ramseur's Holmes Center record of 55.70, which Carothers broke in the season opener.
Sophomore Felicia Paulding almost took home a first place finish settling for second in the women's 55 meter dash by a eight seconds to UNC Charlotte runner Lamarra Currie. Also junior-transfer from Georgia Southern Danielle Shaurette took home a third place finish in her debut for the Catamounts in the one mile event. Another Junior Tia Jones helped WCU captured a second place finish in the women's triple jump event.
Freshman Deirdra Morrison in her collegiate debut competed in the women's shot put and posted a solid fourth place finish, throwing 41 feet, 1.75 inches. Also making her collegiate debut with the Catamounts was freshman Laura Langley who also took home a fourth place finish in the women's high jump event.
Five of the eight WCU 4x400-meter relay teams took home top ten finishes, with the women's "A" team winning the event, and the "B" squad finishing in fourth, and the men's "A" winning their relay and "B" team coming fourth, respectively giving the Catamounts a sweep of the event.
This was the only meet for the Catamounts in 2008, as the team will not compete again until they travel to South Carolina for the Clemson Invitational on Jan. 10, 2009.
