CULLOWHEE, N.C. – On the opening day of the 2023 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at the Catamount Athletic Complex on the campus of Western Carolina University, Wofford College had strong overall performances and two school records were broken.
 
The women's team is third (32 points) and the men's squad is currently eighth (6 points) after the first day of events. Thirteen Terriers also advanced from qualifying to the Tuesday finals in seventeen spots and four earned All-Freshman Team honors.
 
In the field events, Jenna Reid was third in the hammer throw at 50.46 meters to score the first points of the day for the Terriers. Reid added a fifth place in the javelin at 39.34 meters, with Taylor Stingel seventh at 32.52 meters. Christopher Sheppard was sixth in the men's long jump at 6.82 meters, while Sebastian LaTorre was sixth in the javelin at 49.42 meters.
 
Wofford had three women place in the long jump to score a total of 17 points, led by Madeline McNinch in second place (5.74 meters), Georgia McDevitt in third (5.66 meters) and Netanya Linares in sixth place (5.59 meters).
 
Mary Claire Ridgeway was sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:26.48. Wofford also had a total of six ninth-place finishes on the day, just missing out on the top eight places that earned points, along with two student-athletes that finished ninth in preliminaries.
 
Following the first four events of the heptathlon, Netanya Linares is first overall with 3,125 points. She was first in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.15 with a time that was a SoCon record in the event, first in the high jump at 1.69 meters to set a new school record and first in the 200 meters. Presley Worf is fifth overall with 2,251 points. After the first five events of the decathlon, Sebastian LaTorre is in seventh place with 2,744 points and Jackson Casey is eighth at 2,697 points.
 
In qualifying heats on Monday, highlights included Kerrington Johnson finishing first in the 100-meter hurdles and Jasmine Jefferson qualifying first in the 400 meters in a school-record time of 55.33.  
 
Those qualifying for Tuesday finals include:
Kerrington Johnson – 100-meter hurdles (13.52), 400-meter hurdles (1:04.60)
Netanya Linares – 100-meter hurdles (14.24)
Grant Witherspoon – 110-meter hurdles (15.19)
Jasmine Jefferson – 400 meters (55.33), 200 meters (24.67)
Dahlia Cutler – 400 meters (57.37)
Ella Tennant – 100 meters (11.98)
Madeline McNinch – 100 meters (12.08), 200 meters (24.74)
Nevius Fisher – 100 meters (10.62)
Robert Hilsman – 100 meters (10.89), 200 meters (21.78)
Cameron Dalton – 100 meters (10.93)
Marga Van Der Linde – 400-meter hurdles (1:03.50)
Grant Witherspoon – 400-meter hurdles (54.99)
Ahmad Miles – 400-meter hurdles (57.88)
 
Samford is currently first in the women's championship with 81.5 points and first with 67 points on the men's side. The championship will conclude on Tuesday, with a full day of events ending with the 4x400 relays.
 
Men's All-Freshman – Day 1
Men's hammer throw
Quin Goodson, Wofford
 
Men's javelin
Quin Goodson, Wofford
 
Women's All-Freshman – Day 1
Women's hammer throw
Hannah Kunkle, Wofford
 
Women's javelin
Taylor Stingel, Wofford