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 SPORTS
WRGC proudly broadcasts these teams/events. (Click on a logo to visit their website.)
If you have a sports story or score to report, contact us at (828) 586-2221.
Smoky Mountain HS Mustang Varsity Football @ Swain County 08/26/2011
Andy Shaw Ford Tough Player of the Game: Michael George
Coverage of Mustang Football is brought to in part by: WRGC Football Calendars 08/19/2011 Get your 18x12 Glossy Calendar to keep track of Smoky Mountain HS, Cerokee HS, Franklin HS, Western Carolina Univ., App. St Univ. & Univ. of NC. WRGC Football Calendars are available at these locations:
Andy Shaw Ford SMHS Varsity Soccer Victorious Over Enka 08/23/2011 Smoky Mountain High School Varsity soccer team defeats Enka 3-0 on Monday, August 22, with Jordan Couch scoring 2 goals and Mason Westall scoring 1 goal giving them 2 wins, 1 lose and 1 tie for the season. Smoky Mountain High School JV soccer team lost to Enka JV's 5-1. Both teams will beat home today taking on North Buncombe with JV's at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm. Smoky Mountain HS Mustang Varsity Football vs Cherokee 08/19/2011
Andy Shaw Ford Tough Player of the Game: Blake Smith
Coverage of Mustang Football is brought to in part by: 122 Catamounts Named to SoCon Academic Honor Roll 08/15/2011
According to WCU Assistant AD for Media Relations, Daniel Hooker, Western Carolina landed 122 student-athletes on the Southern Conference’s 2010-11 Academic Honor Roll, the league announced today. Across the SoCon, more than 1,900 student-athletes from the twelve member institutions were named to the honor roll for the 2010-11 academic year.
The 1,985 students recognized are the most honorees since the inception of the honor roll, surpassing the previous high set a year ago. The average grade point average (GPA) of those honored was 3.45, and forty-four percent of the recognized student-athletes achieved at least a 3.5 GPA including eighty students who posted a 4.0.
WCU had 24 football players on the academic honor roll to lead all teams, followed by 16 women’s soccer players and 13 baseball players. Combined, the Catamount men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams put 32 on the list. Women’s Soccer Blanks Gardner-Webb 2-0 08/15/2011
According to a release from Denise Gideon, Women’s Soccer Blanks Gardner-Webb 2-0. Five freshmen start for Catamounts. Western Carolina women’s soccer defeated Gardner-Webb 2-0 Sunday night at the Catamount Soccer Complex in the club’s lone exhibition match of the season. Head Soccer Coach Chad Miller had a lot to learn about his team, in the pre-season warm-up. He got to see what some of his 17 freshmen could do in live match play, starting five newcomers in the match. Miller was also anticipating the return of a pair of redshirt juniors, who had to sit out last season due to injury, in Samantha Hodge and Kayla Beauduy. Hodge proved her year-long hiatus was worth the wait as she scored the first goal in the match. Six minutes into the first period, Hodge hit a shot to the right of the goalie, off an assist by freshman Christine Cockrell, for the score. Hodge’s goal would be the only one scored in the first half. Bulldog goalie Erika Lenns bent in the first half but didn’t break for almost 80 minutes after, suffering a barrage of 18 shots by the Catamounts. Late in the second half, Miller saw one of his freshmen put the ball in the net. At the 84:53 mark, newbie Kimberly Sullivan bounced a header, from an assist by Brittany Gendron, inside the box, past the Gardner-Webb goalie for the insurance goal. Of the 18 shots by WCU, five were made by junior forward Laura Grebb. Fellow junior Lindsay Carter has three shots in the match. Catamount goalie Katie Jacobs had one save in the match on four Bulldog shots. Western Carolina opens regular season play on August 19 at facing Western Kentucky in a tournament hosted by the Hilltoppers. Match time is set for 8 p.m.
WCU's Track and Field Named to USTFCCCA Division 1 All-Academic Track and Field Team 08/12/2011
Women’s Track and Field Named to USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic Track and Field Team One of seven SoCon Teams to be named to team NEW ORLEANS, La. – Western Carolina women’s Track and Field was named to the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) 2011 Division I All-Academic Track and Field Team. The Catamount women’s track and field team was one of 164 institutions who earned the distinction as a result of a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better. Western Carolina accumulated a team GPA of 3.24. WCU was one of seven Southern Conference Teams (Elon, Samford, College of Charleston, UNCG, Chattanooga and Wofford) to earn this distinction.
WCU Men’s Golf Signee J.T. Poston Wins Big “I” National Championship 08/08/2011
WCU Men’s Golf Signee J.T. Poston Wins Big “I” National Championship Poston shot six-under, 282, over the four-round event According to Daniel Hooker WCU's Assistant AD for Media Relations, J.T. Poston, an incoming freshman for the Western Carolina men’s golf team, claimed individual medalist honors in the boy’s division at the 43rd annual Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship this week held at the par-72, Reunion Golf and Country Club in Madison, Mississippi. The Hickory, N.C., native posted par-or-better on all four rounds including a three-under 69 on the second 18 holes. Poston shot 72-69-70 and 71 (282) over the four-round stroke-play event to edge UC Davis commitment Austin Smotherman by one shot in the final standings. “We are really proud of J.T. and all of his accomplishments,” said WCU men’s golf head coach Carter Cheves. “I know he wanted to end his junior career on top and he did exactly what he set out to do. He has been playing incredible golf and we are thrilled to have him joining us this fall." Poston’s victory marks the second-straight season an incoming WCU freshman has won the junior national tournament. Last summer, Catamount rising sophomore Greg Bunner claimed individual medalist honors at the same event held at the Olde York Country Club in Chesterfield, N.J. The Big “I” National Championship dates back to 1969. According to research and available records through 1979, it is the first-time that the tournament has been won by juniors who were attending the same college in back-to-back years. With two former winners on roster, WCU is among six NCAA schools to have individual champions join their roster including four from Texas, three from Arizona State and Oklahoma State, and two apiece from Stanford and UNLV. “Anytime you have a student-athlete win a tournament, it is great exposure for both the individual and for Western Carolina. Having back-to-back National Champions (Bunner and Poston) on the same roster at WCU is a very exciting feeling. It's a testament to the talent we have and the direction we are going,” Cheves added. On Thursday afternoon, Poston entered his final hole with a two-stroke lead over Smotherman, but left his approach shot 60-feet short of the cup while the Loomis, Calif., native dropped his shot eight-feet from the hole and drained his birdie putt to move to five-under for the tournament. Poston needed to three-putt at worst to win the title outright, and that is just what he did. After his round he said the six-inch putt he dropped to lay claim to the Robert Trent Jones Trophy was one of the most nerve-racking of his junior golf career. He finished 6-under-par (282) for the tournament. “It was a grind all day,” Poston said. “On my par putt from six or seven feet I wasn’t going to run it by. I just had to two-putt from there, and I was glad I did have that six-incher instead of a three-footer.” Poston, who was a two-time North Carolina High School 3-A State individual champion, set a couple of North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) records in winning the 3-A golf championship a season ago. His single-round score of 63 was the lowest ever for 18 holes in the state tournament, while his 36-hole score of 13-under, 131, also set a tournament record and helped earn him mention in Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Faces in the Crowd” section. He is joined by Charlotte native Charlie Kilzer and junior transfer, Steven Smith, from Kirknewton, Scotland to compose Cheves’ incoming class. Renowned as the nation’s largest junior stroke-play golf tournament, the Trusted Choice® Big “I” National Championship is one of the longest running junior golf events in the country. This year’s field features top junior golfers from 36 states who advanced from qualifying tournaments held around the nation. Previous participants include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Kellee Booth and Grace Park.
Catamount Football Fall Update 08/08/2011
Catamount Football Fall Update from the desk of Danial Hooker WCU practiced in full pads for the first time this preseason on Sunday With air temperatures in the low-90s and turf conditions closing in on 100-degrees on a bright and sunny afternoon, the Western Carolina Catamount football team practiced in full pads on Sunday afternoon for the first time this preseason at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. Sunday’s practice concludes the string of five “open” practice sessions to begin the 2011 fall camp. The Catamounts resume normal closed practice sessions this week including a scheduled short scrimmage period as a part of Tuesday afternoon’s practice. The squad also starts back on its weight-lifting program on Monday morning with the offense going through a walk-through while the defense lifts before switching As a reminder, WCU’s practices are now closed to the public unless special permission is granted through the Catamount Football or Media Relations offices. Western Carolina practiced for two and a half hours on Sunday afternoon, working through 28 periods including individual position and team session. Although the squad was able to work in full pads, the NCAA continues to restrict full contact on the first day. To comply, the players were able to “thud up” with hits, but did not follow-through or finish the tackle to the ground on Sunday. Following pre-practice agility drills and team stretch, official practice opened with individual position work and was followed with the first of two different special team’s drills which began with PAT field goal and was later followed by kickoff return team. The squad also had a 10-minute contact, 3-on-3 drill pitting like position players. Team sessions on Sunday included both a blitz and regular segment with limited progression, ending offensive plays upon “thud up” and blowing the play dead once the quarterback was corralled by the defense. Again, all four QB’s for WCU split the reps in the “Pistol” formation with the squad remaining relatively healthy through the first week of practice. On Saturday morning, the Catamounts practiced for just under two and a half hours in helmets and shoulder pads with the offense running nearly 160 plays, keeping with the up-tempo, no-huddle strategy employed thus far preseason practice. Following the two hour and 15-minute practice, the squad went rafting through the on-campus Base Camp Cullowhee as a team-building opportunity. Be sure to check back to CatamountSports.com for updates throughout the preseason including photo galleries, video highlights and interviews with players and coaches alike from practice sessions. The "Inside Catamount Athletics" features will allow fans a more in-depth look at Catamount Football as it gets ready for the 2011 season. ADDITIONAL REMINDER: Former WCU football players Kevin McAlmont and Rico Reese will team on the Georgia Force roster in a nationally-televised Arena Football League (AFL) conference title game on Monday night (Aug. 8). The Force (11-7) visits the Jacksonville Sharks (14-4) in primetime at 8:00 pm on the NFL Network in the AFL’s American Conference finals with a berth to ArenaBowl XXIV against the Arizona Rattlers (18-2) on the line.
Upcoming Dates in Catamount Athletics:
Mon., Aug. 22:Fall Classes at WCU begin To order 2011 Catamount football season tickets, call the WCU athletic ticket office at (828) 227-2401 or toll free at (800) 34-GOWCU, or log onto www.CatamountSports.com. Catamount Football Opens 2011 Preseason Camp 08/04/2011
According to DanielHooker, WCU's Assistant AD for Media Relations, Preseason practice for the Western Carolina Catamount football team opened on Wednesday evening on the turf of Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. WCU had 95 players report to camp on Tuesday and suit up for the first of two helmet-only practices before donning the shoulder pads for the first-time on Friday evening.
The squad will practice the remainder of the week at 5:45 pm before hitting the turf at 10:00 am on Saturday morning. Sunday’s practice – the first in full pads – is scheduled for 4:15 pm which will be the regular practice time with the exception of Saturday’s and August 19, which is move-in day for WCU’s student body. Fall classes begin on Monday, Aug. 22. WCU fourth-year head coach Dennis Wagner was pleased with the execution of his team both offense and defense after the opening day of practice. “Today was a good day of practice for us,” said Wagner. “We’ve set the standard high and need to raise it every day; we need to continue to get better every day.” Following a busy opening day on Tuesday, the Catamounts – returners and newcomers alike – spent most of Wednesday in a variety of meetings before putting on the head gear for a 28-session practice that lasted right at two hours and 15 minutes to officially kickoff the preseason. Afternoon summertime heat radiated off the turf as the squad spent the majority of the day broken up by position before coming together as offensive and defensive units separate from each other. Near the closing sessions of practice, the offense also worked through roughly 40 plays in a trio of team periods, executing the new “Pistol” offense. Four quarterbacks including sophomore Brandon Pechloff, senior Zac Brindise, redshirt freshman Lance Price and true freshman Jawan Simmons split the reps on Wednesday. Be sure to check back to CatamountSports.com for updates throughout the preseason including photo galleries, video highlights and interviews with players and coaches alike from practice sessions. The "Inside Catamount Athletics" features will allow fans a more in-depth look at Catamount Football as it gets ready for the 2011 season. Remaining Opening Week Practices (Open to the Public): Thursday, Aug. 4: 5:45 pm - 8:00 pm (helmet only) Friday, Aug. 5: 5:45 pm - 8:00 pm (helmet/shoulder pads) Saturday, Aug. 6: 10:00 am - 12:30 (helmet/shoulder pads) Sunday, Aug. 7: 4:15 pm - 6:45 pm (1st practice in full pads)
SMHS Football Coach Setzer Resigns 08/03/2011 "Last Thursday night I was faced with a difficult decision. I decided it was in my best interest to retire from teaching in NC with 30 years and accept a job with Union Co GA schools in Blairsville, GA." Setzer said. Setzer added, " Though I chose to leave, I still love the people of Jackson County and want SMHS Mustangs to be Successful. It is my hope that people will rally to support the players and coaches as they strive for a winning season in 2011." Smony Mountain High School Athletic Director, Jimmy Cleveland will step in as interm coach until one is hired. Catamount Club, WCU Look to Reach Scholarship Goal by Thursday 06/27/2011 The Catamount Club and Western Carolina University Athletic Department are closing in on the goal to raise $500,000 for the Catamount Athletic Scholarship Fund. Daniel Hooker of the athletic department says that the final days of the fiscal year are critical as the club looks to reach its goal of 1,000 members, but is gaining membership daily. Gorham Bradley, Catamount Club Director and former WCU student athlete, says that the club has experienced tremendous success over the year, but encourages membership renewal by Thursday in order to provide increased scholarship support for the next fiscal year. The club has raised $360,000 as of last Friday and contributions impact scholarships to each of WCU's 16 intercollegiate sports. For more information on joining the club or renewing or upgrading membership, call Assistant Director of the Catamount Club Jeremiah Fisher at 828.227.3047. Mustang Soccer Camp has been canceled 06/24/2011
MLB Picks Four Catamounts in 2011 Draft 06/10/2011
Deese was taken in the 23rd round with the 710th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals while Benedict was selected with the 902nd overall pick in the 30th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. RHP Null was a 37th round, 1,113rd pick by the Seattle Mariners while RHP Powell was taken in the 46th round and the 1,404th pick by the Texas Rangers.
The draft includes 22 players from the Southern Conference with 18 pitchers selected.
Deese is the third Catamount to be selected by the St. Louis Cardinals organization, joining Tom Malchesky (12th round, 314 pick) in 1988 and Blake Murphy (42nd round, 1,265) in 2008. Benedict is the fourth Catamount to be taken by the Pirates all time joining Wayne Tolleson (12th round, 304) back in 1977, Alex Tolbert (22nd, 662) in 1997 and Brian McCullen (38th round, 1,130) in the 2006 draft.
The Inman, South Carolina native began his collegiate career at Clemson before transferring to WCU from Walters State prior to last season and made 13 relief appearances in 2011. Deese struck out 22 against 15 walks in 16.1 innings, recording at least one strikeout in all but three of his season appearances with WCU winning six of the 13 games in which he saw action.
Deese made the most of his final two seasonal appearances for WCU, tossing 2.2 innings of one-run, one-hit relief in a 16-inning road victory over Furman before pitching a career-long four and a third in the epic 20-inning win over top-seeded Elon in the SoCon Tournament. Against the Phoenix, Deese struck out six while keeping the Phoenix off the board in helping the Catamounts knock-off the tournament’s top seed.
From reports published by the Asheville Citizen-Times and from Deese, the reliever had talks with the Tampa Bay Rays about being drafted in the 15th round, but that they could not reach terms prior to the pick passing. Deese was taken by the Cardinals eight rounds later.
Benedict finished his four-year career at Western Carolina with an 11-8 overall record with nine victories coming during an All-SoCon, All-State junior season. He made a combined 58 career appearances on the mound with 31 coming as the starting pitcher. The St. Petersburg, Fla., product struck out 174 batters during his career to rank 18th on the school’s career ledger.
Benedict started 13 games and paced the squad in both innings pitched at 85.1 and strikeouts with 70 last season. He ranked 10th in the SoCon in total innings thrown while his 70 K’s ranked him tied for 10th in the league and his 26 strikeouts looking placed him sixth among all SoCon pitchers.
With both Null and Powell drafted, it marks the second-straight season that WCU has had an incoming pitcher selected as Michael White (Walters State) was taken prior to donning the Purple & Gold. Mustangs Finish Ahead of Top Seeded Pisgah at State Track and Field Event 05/24/2011 The Smoky Mountain High School girls 800 meter relay team returns to Sylva ahead of rival Pisgah at the state track and field competition in Greesnboro on Saturday. Michelle Provost, Sarah Spiro, Rose Helen Graham and Nancy Ford came in at 10:14.41, five seconds ahead of the number one seeded Bears for a fourth place finish. Pisgah placed fifth. Ford also placed sixth in the 800 meter run with a personal record of 2:24.32. Additionally, April Parker placed twelfth in the girls discus event while Zach Wright placed fifteenth in the boys 110 meter hurdles. |
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WRGC Radio · 1846 Skyland Drive, P.O. Box 1044, Sylva, North Carolina 28779 · (828) 586-2221 · Fax (828) 586-6834 · Email |
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The Mustang Soccer Camp that was scheduled for June 27, 28 & 29 at the Cullowhee Rec Center has been canceled.
Western Carolina University's baseball team boasts two of its players and two incoming baseball recruits as draftees in the second and third days of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft this week.