Athletics Gala shines spotlight on Catamount student-athletes, impact of supporters
From left, donors Vikki and Terry Fortner chat with Milla Syska, a member of the Western Carolina University soccer team, during the Athletics Gala.
By Bill Studenc
More than 150 citizens of Catamount Nation rallied Saturday, April 12, in Asheville to celebrate the accomplishments of student-athletes who have represented Western Carolina University during the 2024-2025 sports seasons.
Many of those in attendance at the Athletics Gala, held at the Omni Grove Park Inn, were donors whose contributions enable more than 350 student-athletes to pursue their higher education goals while donning purple-and-gold uniforms on game day.
In addition to giving student-athletes an opportunity to meet benefactors who provide scholarship support and funding for athletics facilities renovations, the event also served as a sort-of pep rally for WCU鈥檚 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� fundraising campaign.
The initiative, which entered its public phase earlier this year, is an effort to secure a minimum of $100 million in philanthropic support for WCU鈥檚 academic, student engagement and athletics programs. Only the third comprehensive fundraising campaign in WCU鈥檚 136-year history, it is the first with an emphasis on seeking financial support for renovations to aging athletics facilities.
Upgrades to WCU鈥檚 E.J. Whitmire Stadium, which marked its 50th anniversary last season, are the top priority for upgrades through the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� campaign.
In her remarks at the gala, 51看片Chancellor Kelli R. Brown warned the Catamount faithful to be prepared for construction dust and parking changes during this fall鈥檚 football season.
Catamount student-athletes participate in a panel discussion as part of the recent Athletics Gala. From left are Marcus Kell (men鈥檚 basketball), Sadler Miller (women鈥檚 golf, track and field), Grace Pack (women鈥檚 basketball) and Emma Soucy (soccer).
鈥淲e are fulfilling our promise to inconvenience as many of you as possible by initiating our project to build the Western Skybox. This addition on our westside stands will accommodate a new press box, coaches鈥� offices, player study space and hospitality space,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 right, the purple construction fencing is up, and we are finally moving forward with the most significant upgrade to Catamount athletics facilities in decades.鈥�
A nod to the name of the fundraising campaign, the Western Skybox has become the unofficial moniker for the new hospitality area that will sit atop additions to Whitmire鈥檚 westside stands. But those initial enhancements to athletics facilities won鈥檛 be the last, Brown said.
鈥淲e are just beginning the next chapter of Catamount athletics, and we will continue to ask for your support. We鈥檝e come a long way, but our journey together is not yet complete,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e need you to help us capitalize on this success. Challenge yourself to a stretch gift, volunteer, solicit a new Catamount Club member or reach out to a former member to re-engage. There are so many ways to help,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淎s a former academic, I never thought I would be the chancellor who would have athletics as my focus, but I am all in. 51看片is all in. I am so proud to be on this journey with each of you.鈥�
Kyle Pifer, WCU鈥檚 interim director of athletics, provided a list of accomplishments of Catamount student-athletes over the past year, including a second consecutive Southern Conference regular season championship for the soccer team, with coach Chad Miller earning conference coach-of-the-year honors.
The football team had its third straight winning season, earned second place in the conference and was nationally ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision poll, Pifer said.
The volleyball team won the Campbell Invitational tournament, and men鈥檚 cross country took second place in the SoCon Championship, the team鈥檚 highest finish since 1993, he said, while the women鈥檚 basketball program led by first-year coach Jonathan Tsipis doubled its win total from the previous year, and men鈥檚 basketball welcomed new coach Tim Craft.
In track and field, seven Catamount women and 12 Catamount men were named All-Southern Conference, he said, and women鈥檚 tennis, still playing, has already tied the record for most wins in school history.
Turning to academics, Pifer told the crowd that 91 51看片student-athletes made the Chancellor鈥檚 List and 57 made the Dean鈥檚 List. He also reminded attendees that community service activities are a big focus of the athletics program.
鈥淚 believe it鈥檚 appropriate to mention the impacts of Hurricane Helene 鈥� the most damaging natural disaster in North Carolina history,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur student-athletes participated in several relief efforts.鈥�
They included assisting with deliveries of supplies at Jackson County Airport, cleanup efforts, soccer team donations, a Fill the Truck campaign during home football games, and donations collected by the baseball team for local Little League programs that lost equipment and fields to the storm.
51看片 alumnus and former track and field standout Michael Harris shares his experiences as a student-athlete.
Alumnus Michael Harris, a 2023 51看片graduate with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration and a five-time conference champion in track and field, moderated a panel of current student-athletes from the football, volleyball, soccer, women鈥檚 golf and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball teams. Topics ranged from the student-athlete experience and life after graduation to dealing with coaching changes and the importance of support from Catamount Club members.
Harris shared his story as a former student-athlete who went on to earn his master鈥檚 degree in human resources management at the University of Tennessee, where he now works in the Department of Human Resources.
鈥淢y journey wasn鈥檛 always gold medals and perfect races. I arrived during what was already a challenging time 鈥� COVID,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd, just when things started picking up, I was faced with injuries for more than a year. Those moments taught me something powerful 鈥� life doesn鈥檛 always go the way we plan. But growth often happens during the tough parts.鈥�
Being on the track team taught Harris more than just how to sprint, he said. 鈥淚t taught me how to be patient with my progress, how to adjust when things fall apart and how to trust the process, even when the results aren鈥檛 immediate,鈥� he said.
Harris also expressed gratitude for the financial support he received as a 51看片student-athlete, and he encouraged the current student-athletes to thank their supporters.
鈥淎 scholarship gave me a chance to become more than just an athlete; it gave me access to an education, a network, a future,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, whether you鈥檙e in your first season or your last, know that your journey doesn鈥檛 stop there. You鈥檙e building a foundation for something bigger.鈥�
C.J. Mitchell, assistant director of the Catamount Club, moderated a panel discussion featuring six 51看片coaches before Ben Pendry, vice chancellor for advancement, closed the gala by thanking supporters of Catamount athletics and reminding them their continued support through the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� campaign is needed to help make long-delayed upgrades to athletics facilities a reality.
For more information about the campaign or to make a contribution, visit , call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.
