Catamount athletics are in full swing this fall with football, soccer, volleyball, cross country and golf all fighting for a spot in the SoCon championship.
FOOTBALL
The Catamounts and Wolfpack traded blows at the season opener in Raleigh Aug. 29. Though the team couldn’t take home the win, they showed the offensive prowess of the Cats against a Top 25 ACC team.
The team has been working hard since its first game against NCSU. Head coach Kerwin Bell is confident in the team’s ability and says a championship season may be on the horizon.
“We’ve gotten better every year for the last three years. We’ve got a good team now that we think can go for a championship. If you’re going to be a championship team, it can’t be all about the individuals. It’s got to be guys that truly believe in that team,” Bell said.
The team is looking to take home a win after a loss against Campbell Sept. 7. The Sept. 14 match-up against Elon brought home a road win and now it’s off to Missoula to play University of Montana Sept. 21.
“These next three weeks are going to be very crucial – non-conference games against Campbell, Elon and Montana,” Bell continued, “They’re three really good football teams, so we’ve got to play extremely well to come out with some wins.”
WCU Football will be back on home turf Oct. 5 to play Wofford College.
To view the full schedule, visit catamountsports.com
SOCCER
WCU Women’s Soccer is working to follow up their championship-winning 2023 season. Last year the Lady Cats went 7-2 in-conference and beat Samford 1-0 in the SoCon championship.
“The ladies are working hard with the goal of defending their championship from last fall. You have to have talent to win games, but leadership and team chemistry has been the recipe for success with our group,” said head coach Chad Miller.
Last season junior Isabella DeMarco (29) brought home SoCon Player of the Year – a first for the program. DeMarco, along with Naya Marcil (7) and Becca Campbell (3) were selected to the SoCon All-Conference First Team.
Ten new student-athletes will join the team this year, eight freshmen and two transfers. Miller says the team chemistry is at an all-time high and that he has high expectations for the upcoming season.
Catamount Women’s soccer also shows their grit in the classroom. They’ve been awarded the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award 19 years in a row. They boasted a 3.77 GPA in 2022-23 – the sixth highest among all NCAA Division I schools.
The team was publicly recognized at the NC General Assembly in May for their outstanding scholarship and athleticism.
Catamount Women’s Soccer will be at home for their next four games, facing Presbyterian, Winthrop, Samford and Mercer.
To view the full schedule, visit catamountsports.com
VOLLEYBALL
The Volleyball team is preparing for its first regular season matches beginning Sept. 25 against The Citadel in Charleston. They’ll be back in Cullowhee later in the week to play Mercer.
The team has been sharpening its skills in preseason matches since Aug. 23. They have yet to take home a win, but head coach Karen Glover says this is the best time to practice.
“We can do a lot with the team this year. We want to take these next few weeks of preseason to work things out so that we are ready to be successful in conference play. We’ve got pieces that can make that happen, but we definitely need to grow a little bit to reach our potential this year.”
Catamount Volleyball will face Mercer Sep. 27 and will be back in Cullowhee to play UNCG Oct. 11.
To view the full schedule, visit catamountsports.com
