The Western Carolina men's track & field team was crowned the 2011-12 Southern Conference Indoor Champion, defeating rival Appalachian State by the narrowest of margins, a half of a point.
The men scored 155 points, while the Mountaineers had 154.5. Samford was also in the mix as the top three teams were separated by only seven and a half points. On the women's side, the Catamount women's track & field teams earned silver, finishing behind Appalachian State, 157.16 to WCU's 113.
Head Coach Danny Williamson was selected as the Men's Coach of the Year. It is the ninth time that Williamson has received the honor, matching the same number that Williamson has received it for his efforts with the WCU women's team.
The men's championship came down to the last event of the night, the 4x400-meter relay. Being down by three points, the only way the Catamounts could win the championship was to win the relay. Western Carolina did just that by winning the event in 3:15.08 with The Citadel finishing in second, three seconds behind the Catamounts. The relay team consisted of sophomore Aaron Tribble, junior Brandon Hairston, freshman Demari Boswell and senior Benny Davis. It was the second fastest time of the year for WCU.
Senior Benny Davis picked up the victory in the 200-meter dash in his final SoCon Indoor Championship of his collegiate career, winning the event in 21.35. Freshman Jeffrey Hendricks placed fifth with a time of 22.21. Davis also had a strong showing in the 400-meter dash, racing across the stripe in 47.84, earning silver. The top six of the 400-meter dash featured three other Catamounts besides Davis. Placing third was junior Brandon Hairston who finished in 48.51. Sophomore Aaron Tribble placed fourth (48.58) while freshman Demari Boswell placed sixth (49.53).
The 60-meter dash was also a big point-grabber for WCU. Hairston earned another top three finish as the junior earned silver with a season-best time of 6.91. Junior Ron Duncan - who had the fast preliminary time in the event - finished third (6.94) with classmate Willie Bowman placing fifth (6.96).
In the field events, sophomore Bob McNeil had another big day in the jumps. A day after winning the men's long jump, McNeil returned to the top of the podium winning the triple jump with a personal-best jump of 15.08. His mark of 7.25m in the long jump yesterday was also a personal best. In the weight throw, senior Jamie Van Pelt made the best of his final SoCon Indoor Championship, placing third with a career-best throw of 17.55m. Sophomore Jonathan Newton finished fifth with his throw of 16.23m.
Friday's women's competition did not pale in comparison to the men's accomplishments as Western Carolina set two SoCon Championship records on the track. In the women's 400-meter dash, senior Felisha Garren broke the previous SoCon record of 54.64 that was set back in 1995 by WCU alum Angela Rowe with her Friday time of 54.61. The time was just off of the Western Carolina record of 54.31.
Freshman Genevieve Emrick earned a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team for her fourth place finish in the event, crossing the stripe in 56.81. The women's 4x400-meter relay team continued the tradition of strong Catamount relay teams by finding their own spot in the Southern Conference Championship record books. The team of sophomore Shiniqua Pryor, freshman Genevieve Emrick, freshman Lena Elliott and senior Felisha Garren won the event by setting a Championship record time of 3:44.98. That time was also just off the school record (3:44.47) that was set in 2010.
Felisha Garren was a member of that record-setting team as well. In the 200-meter dash, Garren placed third with a time of 24.74. Placing fifth and sixth in the 200 were Raven Parrish (25.09) and Brittany Diggs (25.20). Janise Robinson finished third in the 60-meter dash finals with a time of 7.74.
In the triple and high jumps, sophomore Raven Parrish placed third (11.52m) and fourth (5.52m).
"On the women's side, it was probably the youngest team that we've brought to this meet since I've been here," continued Williamson. "With so many freshmen and sophomores, we were really excited and proud of how we competed. They did a very good job, and we are proud of both teams."
Individually, freshman Abraham Faison was named the 2012 Freshman of the Year. Faison placed in the top eight in the long jump (fourth), triple jump (eighth) and the 60-meter hurdles (fifth).
Courtesy WCU Sports Information
Purple & Gold's Year in Review - Top 10:
10. WCU's 2012 Football Season
9. The 2012 WCU Athletic Hall of Fame Class
8. Foster Tabbed First Team All-Southern Conference
4. Western Carolina Scores Upset Win over No. 8 Georgia
3. Track & Field Takes Second in SoCon Championships
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3. Track & Field Takes Second in SoCon Championships
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