Big South Conference: Five wins on a cold Friday night in Asheville, and the small moments that carried them
The first day of the big south conference’s Big South vs. SoCon Conference Challenge unfolded under the lights at UNC Asheville’s Karl Haus Track, where Western Carolina athletes moved from circle to runway to oval with the quiet urgency of a meet that is still introducing itself—one throw, one lap, one personal record at a time.
By the end of Friday’s session in Asheville, N. C., Western Carolina track and field had claimed five of a possible six first-place finishes to open the event. Lexie Durban, Austin Cline, Ericka Jackson, Jackson Livingston, and Madeline Hladik each won their events, while the Catamounts also logged second-place finishes in four of those same events. The meet resumes Saturday, with the women’s discus slated for a 9 a. m. start, and event coverage scheduled to begin at 1 p. m. ET on +.
What happened on Day One of the Big South Conference Challenge?
Western Carolina’s opening-day shape was built through field-event precision and a key track debut. In the women’s hammer throw, sophomore Lexie Durban won with a personal record of 49. 34m, the only athlete in the competition to record a throw beyond 46 meters. Teammate Emmie Finley placed second at 44. 84m.
In the men’s hammer throw, Austin Cline also delivered a personal record, winning with 54. 91m. Dominick Dale finished second with a 48. 18m throw on his second attempt.
The men’s javelin belonged to Jackson Livingston, who took first with a 54. 57m throw on his fifth attempt. Dale followed with another second-place finish at 52. 04m. Livingston and Dale were the only athletes in the event to throw beyond 52 meters. Winthrop’s Boyd Brackett was third with 45. 78m.
Ericka Jackson won the women’s javelin throw with 41. 11m, a mark she reached on her final throw. She was the only entrant to surpass 40 meters, a barrier she cleared on four of her six attempts. The win followed her javelin victory the previous week at the USA invite, giving her a second consecutive event win in Asheville.
On the track, Madeline Hladik made her Western Carolina debut by winning the 5, 000m in 18: 29. 75. Braelyn-Shae Wahy took second at 18: 46. 73. In the men’s 5, 000m, Chase Thurber posted Western Carolina’s top finish, placing second while setting a new personal record of 14: 51. 05. The time placed him fifth on Western Carolina’s all-time performance list.
Why did these throws and times matter beyond the podium?
Meets like this rarely feel like a single story until you step close enough to see how athletes build one. Durban’s win was not simply a first-place finish; it was the kind of personal record that changes the texture of a season, defined here by a clear separator—she stood alone beyond 46 meters. Cline’s 54. 91m personal record carried its own context: he was already fifth on Western Carolina’s top-five performance list, then extended his season best again on Friday.
Dale’s night—second in hammer, second in javelin—showed the meet’s other truth: not every headline is a win, but the accumulation of solid attempts can anchor a team’s day. Livingston’s javelin victory, decided by a fifth-throw launch, suggested patience and timing inside an event where only two athletes cracked 52 meters.
And then there was Hladik, stepping into the 5, 000m for her first Western Carolina appearance and immediately leaving with a win. She missed the indoor season, but in Asheville she arrived already ready to lead a race and close it. In the big south conference meet setting, where points are tallied and reputations can harden quickly, debuts like that do more than score—they signal.
Who were the voices of Day One, and what did they show?
The day’s results were delivered through specific athletes, each connected to a specific moment in the ring, on the runway, or on the track. Lexie Durban, listed as a sophomore, opened with a hammer throw win and a personal record at 49. 34m. Austin Cline responded with a men’s hammer personal record of 54. 91m. Jackson Livingston’s javelin win came on his fifth throw, while Dominick Dale paired a second-place hammer finish with a second-place javelin mark at 52. 04m.
Ericka Jackson’s women’s javelin victory added an element of continuity: it was her second straight event win in Asheville after she had also won javelin the week prior at the USA invite. Madeline Hladik’s 5, 000m win—18: 29. 75 in her debut—added a different kind of storyline, one rooted in return and immediate impact after missing the indoor season.
For a specialist’s lens, the meet summary was authored by Josh Ragsdale, Director of Media Relations at Western Carolina University, who documented the five event wins and the set of personal records and placings that shaped the first day’s arc.
What happens next on Saturday in Asheville?
The Catamounts are scheduled to return to action Saturday at UNC Asheville’s Karl Haus Track with the women’s discus set for a 9 a. m. start. Event coverage is scheduled to begin at 1 p. m. ET on +.
Friday’s story left Western Carolina with momentum, but not finality. There is still a second day to fill, and the challenge of re-creating sharp execution after a night of personal records, late winning throws, and a debut that landed at the top of the podium.
Back at the venue where the opening day was decided, the same circles and runways will be measured again, and the same question will hang over the facility as the meet turns the page: can a team repeat its best work when the first-day adrenaline has already been spent?
