Thursday, May 31, 2018

93 Days 'till Football Kickoff - #93 Kanaan Brock








It's now 93 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in Cullowhee.

For the season kick-off, the Cats will host a "White Out" game in E.J. Whitmire Stadium as the Cats will sport its all-white look with white Adidas jerseys over white pants and for a fourth-straight year, postgame fireworks extravaganza follows the home-opener.

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll continue to highlight the defensive line:

#93 Kanaan Brock













Class: Freshman
Hometown: Rutherfordton, N.C.
High School: R-S Central HS
Height / Weight: 6-0 / 285
Position: DL

Prior to Western Carolina: Prior to Western Carolina: Played offensive line at center and defensive tackle at R-S Central High ... Was a two-time All-South Mountain Athletic Conference selection as a junior and senior ... Recorded 94 tackles including 29 solo stops as a senior ... Selected to the Diamond Sports Group Youth All-America Bowl ... Awarded the varsity "Best Blocker" award in 2014 ... Also played baseball, basketball and wrestled as a prep, posting a 25-9 record as a senior where he was a 2-A Area and State Champion at 285.

Personal: Is the son of Patsy Brooks Brock and Kevin and Tonja Brock.





Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations





Wednesday, May 30, 2018

94 Days 'till Football Kickoff - #94 Jake Helms








It's now 94 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in Cullowhee.

For the season kick-off, the Cats will host a "White Out" game in E.J. Whitmire Stadium as the Cats will sport its all-white look with white Adidas jerseys over white pants and for a fourth-straight year, postgame fireworks extravaganza follows the home-opener.

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll continue to highlight the defensive line:

#94 Jake Helms













Class: Junior
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
High School: Lake Norman HS
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 265
Position: DT

2016 (Freshman): Played in nine of the team's 11 games with a pair of starts ... Made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at East Carolina (Sept. 3) with his first career start coming in week two against Gardner-Webb (Sept. 10) ... Recorded 21 tackles including seven solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss including a sack against ETSU (Sept. 17) at the Bristol Motor Speedway ... Posted a career-high five tackles with four stops against ETSU ... Tallied a quarterback hurry against Gardner-Webb (Sept. 10) and blocked a kick against VMI (Nov. 5) ... Credited with a tackle in WCU's annual Spring Game ... Named to the 2016-17 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Finished with 164 career tackles including 27 tackles for loss and 16 sacks ... Forced five fumbles and blocked two field goals ... Named All-North Piedmont Conference as a senior, as well as garnering all-county honors ... Two-time defensive lineman of the year ... Played in the 2012 Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl as an eight-grade offensive lineman ... High school coach was Rob McNeely ... Also participated in track & field as a prep where he holds the school record in the discus.

Personal: Is the son of Kell and Susan Helms ... His father played football at Western Carolina from 1986-90 as a linebacker ... Has a younger sister, Reagan.







Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations





Tuesday, May 29, 2018

95 Days 'till Football Kickoff - #95 Elijah Hall








It's now 95 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in Cullowhee.

For the season kick-off, the Cats will host a "White Out" game in E.J. Whitmire Stadium as the Cats will sport its all-white look with white Adidas jerseys over white pants and for a fourth-straight year, postgame fireworks extravaganza follows the home-opener.

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll highlight the defensive line:

#95 Elijah Hall


Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.
High School: A.L. Brown HS
Height / Weight: 6-0 / 255
Position: DL

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-year varsity letter winner ... Finished with 116 career tackles including 90 solo stops and 26 tackle assists ... Was a two-time All-MEKA 4-A Conference selection and twice dubbed the school's Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman ... Led his team in sacks in both his junior and senior seasons ... Collected All-Observer defensive honors as a senior ... High school head coach was Mike Newsome ... Was in the Beta Club for three years.

Personal: Full name is Elijah Raekwon Hall ... Is the son of Marlon Hall and Natasha McCauley ... Has an older sister who played college basketball.






Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Monday, May 28, 2018

96 Days 'till Football Kickoff - John Wiley








It's now 96 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in Cullowhee.

For the season kick-off, the Cats will host a "White Out" game in E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field as the Cats will sport its all-white look with white Adidas jerseys over white pants and for a fourth-straight year, postgame fireworks extravaganza follows the home-opener.

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

On the Spring Roster, no one is assigned to #97, so we'll highlight another one of our coaches

John Wiley


Position: Assistant Coach / Defensive Coordinator / Inside Linebackers
Alma Mater: East Texas State
Graduated: 1984






John Wiley, a former longtime assistant coach at Appalachian State, was tagged as the next defensive coordinator by Western Carolina head football coach, Mark Speir, in December 2016. Wiley brings over 30 years of coaching experience at a variety of levels to the Catamount football program. Speir worked with Wiley at App State from 2003-09, five of those seasons on the defensive side of the football.

Wiley returns to the familiar mountains of western North Carolina after spending six seasons in the eastern part of the state at East Carolina. He most recently accepted an associate head coaching position at Texas State under former App State player, TSU head coach Everett Withers. Wiley resigned his position at Texas State prior to the 2016 season citing personal and family reasons.

During his six seasons as the associate head and linebackers coach at East Carolina, Wiley was a part of helping guide the Pirates to four bowl game appearances and helped transform ECU's defense into one of the nation's top 40 units in two of his final three years. He was instrumental in producing six all-conference players including three first-team selections, a Freshman All-American, and a conference freshman of the year.

In 2014, the Pirates ranked among the top 11 in rushing defense nationally after allowing just 111.8 yards per game and giving up less than 100 yards over seven games. ECU was among the top 13 defenses in third-down percentage at 34.2 percent, 37th in passing efficiency with a rating of 120.21, and total defense after giving up 367.3 yards per game in 2014.

Wiley also tutored Zeek Bigger and Brandon Williams, who was named the American Athletic Conference's top linebacker duo in 2014 when they combined for 264 tackles. Bigger led the league with 140 stops and Williams finished with 124 as both players were named to the All-AAC teams.

A year earlier, East Carolina ranked among the nation's top 13 rushing defenses and led the conference after surrendering just 116.7 yards per game and less than 100 yards in six games during the 2013 season. The Pirates also gave up just 368.8 total yards and 24.8 points per game.

Wiley's All-Conference USA selections Bigger and Kyle Tudor also played pivotal parts in helping ECU stand among the country's Top 20 units in red zone efficiency defense with a No. 19 rating in 2013.

ECU was among the top 45 teams in rushing defenses in 2012 after improving 60 spots from the previous year. His linebackers also recorded four of the team's 12 forced fumbles and Bigger was the team's third-leading tackler with 77 stops. He also netted five batted passes -- the highest total for any member of the front seven in 2012.

In 2011, Jeremy Grove earned Freshman All-America honors from four publications and was selected the Conference USA Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.1 tackles per game and leading the Pirates with 122 stops. His average ranked among the nation's top 10 players.

Wiley directed walk-on Dustin Lineback to a 119-tackle season in 2010 after inheriting the position group. He also helped the Pirates implement a 3-4 defensive scheme that helped ECU to jump 64 places in the FBS total defense rankings after allowing 102.5 fewer yards than the 2010 campaign.

Wiley made the move to East Carolina after an illustrious stint as a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Appalachian State for a total of 19 years. There, he was the architect of the Mountaineer defense that played a key role in Appalachian State's three NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Championships, and a total of seven Southern Conference championships under head coach Jerry Moore. Appalachian State also appeared in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs 12 times during Wiley's stay in Boone, and he coached seven All-America defensive backs and 87 All-Southern Conference performers including 30 all-conference players in the secondary.

Five players who Wiley coached at ASU went on to be selected in the NFL Draft including Keith Collins (1990, San Diego Chargers), Gary Dandridge (1992, Seattle Seahawks), Matt Stevens (1996, Buffalo Bills), Corey Hall (2001, Atlanta Falcons), and Corey Lynch (2008, Cincinnati Bengals). Lynch also set the school's career records with 31 interceptions and 52 passes defended under his tutelage. In 2008, Mark LeGree earned Consensus All-Southern Conference honors after breaking a 35 year-old record and tied the SoCon single-season record with 10 interceptions as a sophomore first-year starter. LeGree was later drafted by Seattle in 2011.

Wiley's App State defenses also led the league in total defense in 2000 and 2006 and produced six Mountaineers who were named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year eight times. They were Dexter Coakley (1994-96), Josh Jefferies (2002), K.T. Stovall (2003), Marques Murrell (2006), Lynch (2007) and Jacque Roman (2008). Coakley was later drafted in the third round in 1997 by the Dallas Cowboys and is one of just four Mountaineers to have their number retired in Boone.

Originally from Texas City, Texas, Wiley is a 1984 graduate of East Texas State University where he was a three-year football letterman and part of the Lions' 1983 Lone Star Conference championship. He got his start in coaching at Leander High School in Leander, Texas, before serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Texas where he was a part of the Longhorns' Bluebonnet Bowl appearance in 1987.

Prior to returning to App State in 1993, Wiley served as a defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan in 1991. Iowa Wesleyan ranked as high as No. 5 in the NAIA poll and advanced into the national playoffs. He also spent a season on the sidelines at Valdosta State in 1992 helping lead the team to final top 20 ranking at the NCAA Division II level.

Wiley is married to the former Kelly Ponder of Raleigh, N.C., who has a national championship of her own. She was a four-year member of the Appalachian State cheerleading squad and was a part of the Mountaineer's 1989 UCA national championship team. The couple has three children -- daughter Megan and sons Jaxon and Lucas.


Courtesy WCU Athletic Media Relations


Sunday, May 27, 2018

97 Days 'till Football Kickoff - Brad Glenn








It's now 97 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in Cullowhee.

For the season kick-off, the Cats will host a "White Out"  game in E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field as the Cats will sport its all-white look with white Adidas jerseys over white pants and for a fourth-straight year, postgame fireworks extravaganza follows the home-opener.

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

On the Spring Roster, no one is assigned to #97, so we'll highlight another one of our coaches

Brad Glenn


Hometown: Seneca, S.C.
Position: Associate Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
Alma Mater: Clemson
Graduated: 1995




Brad Glenn joined the Western Carolina University football coaching staff in 2012 after seven years at Appalachian State. He works with the Catamount quarterbacks while also serving as the program’s offensive coordinator, bringing the spread offensive formation and the read option that he worked with at Appalachian State to Cullowhee.

In his short time at WCU, Glenn was instrumental in molding quarterback Troy Mitchell who flourished in Glenn’s system. Mitchell finished his career as WCU’s all-time career leader in total offense with 9,397 career yards. Under Glenn’s guidance in 2012, Mitchell – an All-SoCon selection – rushed for eight touchdowns, the most by a quarterback at WCU in program history, according to available research. Then in 2014, Mitchell broke the program’s 14-year old record for total offense in a single-season, amassing 3,096 yards including passing for 2,541 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushing for 555 yards with six scores on the ground.

Not only has Mitchell excelled at quarterback under Glenn’s tutelage, but two receivers have posted double-digit receiving touchdown tallies in his system. In 2013, Karnorris Benson matched the school’s single-season receiving TD record with 12 scores, while Spearman Robinson caught 11 touchdown passes in 2014, both earning All-Southern Conference accolades.

Prior to his move to Cullowhee, Glenn spent three seasons as the quarterbacks coach while also serving one year as tight ends coach (2005) and three working with the slot receivers (2006-08) at Appalachian State. He additionally came to Cullowhee with coordinator experience at two different high schools as well as two seasons at North Greenville College from 2002-03.

While at ASU, Glenn coached six All-Southern Conference honorees, most notably mentoring the two SoCon Offensive Players of the Year in quarterbacks Armanti Edwards and DeAndre Presley. Edwards additional garnered the Walter Payton Award honoring the nation’s top NCAA Division I FCS player.

A native of Seneca, S.C., Glenn started his coaching career as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Greer (S.C.) High School from 1995 through 2000, helping lead the program to a 25-3 overall record and back-to-back South Carolina Upper-State runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2000. He got his start at the collegiate ranks in 2001 at Elon coaching tight ends before spending the next two seasons at North Greenville College as the offensive coordinator. He returned to the high school ranks for a season in his hometown at Seneca High (2004) before being hired at Appalachian State.

Glenn is a 1995 graduate of Clemson University. He is married to the former Anna Thompson and the couple has two daughters – Zoey and Landry – and a son, Hank.


Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Cats beat UNCG for 2d time in the tournament

98 Days 'till Football Kickoff - #98 Holden Edwards







It's now 98 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll highlight the defensive line:

#98 Holden Edwards













Class: RS Sophomore
Hometown: Mount Ulla, N.C.
High School: South Iredell HS
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 300
Position: DL

2016 (Freshman): Did not see game action ... Redshirted ... Credited with a tackle in WCU's annual Spring Game.

Prior to Western Carolina: Played on the varsity squad for all four years as a prep, beginning as a freshman with the eight-quarter rule ... Was a two-time All-North Piedmont Conference selection and was twice dubbed all-county ... Recorded 163 career tackles with 50 tackles for loss including a career-best 31 as a senior ... Had five career sacks ... Was a part of a two conference championships as a freshman and senior ... South Iredell HS won the state championship his freshman year ...
High school coach was Scott Miller.

Personal: Full name is Holden Kross Edwards ... Is the son of Don Edwards and Kathy Barrow ... Grew up on a farm, working with his father and grandfather.



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

Friday, May 25, 2018

99 Days 'till Football Kickoff - #99 Ricky Palao







It's now 99 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll highlight the defensive line:

 #99 Ricky Palao













Class:  Sophmore
Hometown:  Hoover, Ala.
High School:  Hoover HS
Height / Weight:  6-2 / 285
Position:  DL

Prior to Western Carolina: Was a part of the Alabama State 7-A high school football championship team as a senior, collecting one of Hoover High's nine sacks in the title game ... Selected to the "Over the Mountain Journal" All-OTM football team ... High school head coach was Josh Niblett.

Personal: Full name is Ricardo A. Palao ... Is the son of Ricardo Palao, Sr., and Neisha Glapion.



Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations








Thursday, May 24, 2018

100 Days 'till Kickoff - Mark Speir


Today we kick off the eighth annual Catamount Football "100 days to Football Kickoff Countdown" on the Catamount Sports Forum and Purple & Gold.

We hope you have enjoyed the countdown in past years, as much as we do bring it to you. During the countdown, we'll highlight the player whose number corresponds to that day in the countdown.

Since the official 2018 Catamount Football roster has not yet been published, we'll use the 2018 Spring Roster for personnel numbers, until the new roster is posted at which point we'll switch to the official roster for the remainder of the countdown. In past seasons, some players changed numbers from the spring roster to the official roster, so a player may appear more than once in the countdown.

As is our custom, since there is not a player assigned the #100, here's the traditional head coaches' posting.

--------------------

It's now 100 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll highlight the head coach:

Mark Speir


Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.
Position: Head Football Coach
Alma Mater: Clemson & Western Carolina
Graduated: 1990 / 1994




Mark Speir, who has spent the bulk of his collegiate coaching career at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, was named head football coach at Western Carolina University as announced by Director of Athletics Randy Eaton during a press conference held in the Ramsey Center on Dec. 22, 2011.

Speir (pronounced "spear"), who got his coaching career start at Western Carolina under former Catamount head coach Steve Hodgin from 1991-96, is the 13th head coach of the WCU football program all-time.

Since his arrival in Cullowhee, Speir has been a driving force in the revitalization of Catamount football, guiding WCU to back-to-back seven-win seasons in both 2015 and 2014, the latter its first winning record in a decade with the 7-5 finish. It was just the second finish above .500 since 2001 for the Catamounts. Speir led the Catamounts to a second-place finish in the Southern Conference in 2014, its highest finish in the final standings since 1986 -- and just the fourth runner-up finish since joining the league in 1977 -- before following it up with a third-place showing in 2015.

For their plaudits, Speir and his staff were finalists for the 2014 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award given at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.

During the off-season following the success of the 2014 season, Speir was granted a four-year contract extension which was approved by the WCU Board of Trustees in February of 2015. With the extension, Speir is under contract June of 2020.

Since taking over as head coach in 2012, 28 Catamounts have earned All-Southern Conference first-or-second team accolades while 16 have earned All-Freshman distinction. In 2014, a school-record tying 14 Catamounts received all-conference plaudits with 13 collecting honors following the successful 2015 campaign.

Also, eight players have earned Capital One All-District III selections from CoSIDA with running back Darius Ramsey garnering Academic All-America honors in 2014.

Speir's return to Cullowhee in late-2011 came after spending the nine previous seasons at Appalachian State where he was a part of three-consecutive FCS National Championships from 2005-07, serving as the program's recruiting coordinator from 2004 through 2011 while coaching the inside linebackers prior to the move. He also coached the Mountaineers' running backs (2003-04), defensive line (2005-08) and defensive ends (2009-10) while on staff at Appalachian State.

In 2009, Speir was tabbed as the NCAA Division I FCS Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The award has been handed out every year since 1997 at the five levels of football including the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), FCS, Division II and III, as well as NAIA levels.

Prior to Appalachian, Speir also made coaching stops at both at Presbyterian (1997-99) while the Blue Hose were a NCAA Division II member institution, and at Elon (2000-02) the year after the program made the transition to a NCAA Division I school.

A native of Kannapolis, N.C., Speir broke into coaching while an undergraduate at Clemson University, working as a student assistant from 1986 through 1989, helping the Tigers to three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships during his four years. Following his graduation with a bachelor's degree in secondary education in 1990, Speir landed on Hodgin's staff in Cullowhee, first working with the running backs from 1991-93, then the linebackers in 1994 before coaching the defensive line and serving as the program's recruiting coordinator from 1995-96.

Throughout his collegiate coaching career, Speir has made a name for himself through the recruiting process. He has held the title of recruiting coordinator at three NCAA FCS institutions (WCU, Elon and ASU), most recently organizing the efforts that landed Appalachian State six-consecutive crops of freshmen that have been widely considered to be among the top in NCAA Division I FCS recruiting classes and that helped the Mountaineers to three-straight national titles.

On the field, Speir has coached multiple All-Southern Conference selections. In all, he was a position coach for nine all-conference honorees that have earned the distinction 13 times in his nine seasons on staff in Boone.

Six of Speir's position players have garnered All-America honors during his tenure at ASU including the most recent recipient, linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough, who was selected to the second team by The Sports Network. Additionally, defensive ends Jabari Fletcher, Jason Hunter, Marques Murrell and Gary Tharrington and defensive tackle Anthony Williams combined for All-America honors a total of six times.

Speir's most notable pupils, Hunter and Murrell, tied for the SoCon lead with 13 sacks apiece and accounted for six defensive touchdowns between them in 2005. Murrell also led the nation with 13 sacks in `06. Both have enjoyed productive NFL careers, with Hunter entering his sixth pro season this year with the Denver Broncos.

Off the field, Speir is involved in many charitable causes. His efforts through Samaritan's Purse have helped raised more than $100,000 to help rebuild the Memorial Christian Hospital in Bangladesh. Part of the fundraising came through his participation in the 2008 Music City Marathon in Nashville, which he finished in 4:01; the 2009 Boston Marathon, which he completed in 3:59; and the 2010 Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. Most recently, Speir completed the grueling 2015 Boston Marathon alongside his brother.

In 2009, he traveled to Bangladesh to provide much-needed medical supplies and volunteer at the hospital for 10 days.

In 2011, Speir turned to organizing and participating in motorcycle tours as a way to continue to raise funds for the worthy cause. After five years of the motorcycle rides, Speir has helped raise $75,000 for Operation Heal Our Patriots, another Samaritan's Purse initiative.

Jerry Moore, the former head coach at Appalachian State where Speir has worked for nine seasons, praised WCU for its decision.

"Western Carolina is very lucky to get Mark. He is a perfect fit; he knows Western Carolina and knows it well. WCU is very, very fortunate to get Mark Speir. He is a great coach, and a better man; he is the kind of guy that you would love your son to go play for," said Moore upon Speir's hiring at WCU.

Former Catamount football standout Brad Hoover, who went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, credits Speir as "... one of the main reasons I went to WCU." "It was because of the level of Mark Speir's sincerity and his positive attitude during my recruitment experience with him that drew me to commit to Western Carolina," said Hoover.

Speir is married to the former Paige Holt of Pickens, S.C., and the couple has two sons -- Zeb, who is in his second year at Appalachian State and a walk-on for the Mountaineer football team, and Jackson.

SPEIR AT A GLANCE Coaching Experience
1986-89: Clemson (Student Assistant)
1991-93: Western Carolina (Running Backs)
1994: Western Carolina (Outside Linebackers)
1995-96: Western Carolina (Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator)
1997-99: Presbyterian (Defensive Line/Strength and Conditioning)
2000-01: Elon (Running Backs/Special Teams/Recruiting Coordinator)
2002: Elon (Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator)
2003-04: Appalachian State (Running Backs)
2005-09: Appalachian State (Defensive Line)
2004-11: Appalachian State (Recruiting Coordinator)
2009-10: Appalachian State (Defensive Ends)
2011: Appalachian State (Inside Linebackers)
Alma Mater: Clemson, 1990 (Master's -- Western Carolina, 1994)
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C.
Wife: Paige (Holt)
Sons: Zeb and Jackson



Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Highlights of WCU win over #1 seed UNCG

Monday, May 21, 2018

A Look Inside WCU Baseball's SoCon Tournament Practice

Courtesy WCU Athletic Media Relations          

SoCon Baseball Honors for the Cats

Senior Spencer Holcomb headlines four named postseason All-SoCon today, earning a second-team nod; Justice Bigbie, Will Prater, & Chase Walter all land on the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

Courtesy WCU Athletic Media Relations        

Monday, May 7, 2018

2018 Softball Championship brackets


Mason Faulkner picks Western Carolina


Last month Mason Faulkner announced his intention to transfer from Northern Kentucky University, on Sunday, he announced his commitment to Western Carolina University.

The former Mr. Basketball finalist led Kentucky in scoring at 35 points per game in the 2015-16
season.

Faulkner will have two years of eligibility for the Cats, after sitting out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer rules.