March 30, 2006
2006 Western Invitational Meet Information
Cullowhee, N.C. - This Friday and Saturday, Western Carolina University will host the Western Invitational Track & Field meet at the on-campus Catamount Athletic Complex (CAC), marking just the third-ever event at the facility which was completed last spring. Joining the host Catamounts will be student-athletes from mountain-rival UNC Asheville, SoCon-foe Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State, Clemson, Tusculum, and King College.
Action kicks off at approximately 5:00 pm on Friday afternoon with numerous field events including the men's shot put, women's javelin, and both the men and women's long jump. Other events to be contested on Friday include the women's shot put and men's discus. Activities commence at 10:00 am on Saturday with continued field events, with the first track event hitting the starting blocks at 12:20 pm with the 3,000-meter steeplechase events for the women.
Western and Cullowhee were host to the Catamount Classic last April, as well as the 2005 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships later that month, receiving rave reviews and attracting the largest audience in meet history. The Catamount Athletic Complex features an 8-lane, 400-meter Beynon 1000 System track with are two pole vault and jump runways on the south end with pits on either end. The facility also includes a high jump apron on the north end with two javelin runways gracing each end of the track. The shot put and discus areas are located inside the track and one hammer/discus area located directly beside the track.
Entering the weekend, the Catamounts hold 13 of the facility records, including eight on the men's side and five on the women's. Georgia Southern has four Catamount Athletic Complex records, while East Tennessee State is the only other school represented in the record books in competition, all of which are on the women's side.
Several of the record holders will be in action this weekend, led by Western Carolina sophomore Mike Malone, the men's record holder in the 100- and 200-meter dash. Senior Adam Puett, who won the men's 1,500-meter run at the SoCon Championships with a facility record of 3:55.45, will again take to the track despite trailing junior teammate, Dan Fassinger, in the SoCon's seasonal charts. Also for the Catamount men, javelin record holder, sophomore David Bowles, and defending SoCon men's track athlete of the week, senior Lawrence Briscoe, who holds the mark in the 110-meter hurdles, will be in action over the weekend.
On the women's side, Western junior Asia Davis, who holds the 400-meter facility record as well as leads the SoCon 100- and 400-meter hurdles time charts, will take to the track on Saturday afternoon. Davis will be joined by fellow CAC record holder, classmate Brittany Whitaker, who will be competing in the women's high jump. Georgia Southern's Nicole Brown will return to Cullowhee holding two of the facility records, both in the 100-meter dash and the women's triple jump set at the SoCon Championships. Her teammates, Brittany Chase and Lauren Jacobs, hold the records in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump, respectively.
Western's men hold 13 of the top Southern Conference performances thus far in the outdoor season, while the Catamount women hold eight, six of which came on the track. GSU's Brown holds the best women's mark in the javelin and triple jump this season, while her teammate, Jacobs, is the SoCon's best in the long jump.
Additional meet information, schedules, and heat sheets are available on-line at www.CatamountSports.com. Daily results will also be posted to the site following competition.
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