June 2, 2003

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina sophomore Laura Tieszen and senior Caleb Bailey both placed in the top eight of their respective events at the NCAA Regional meet in Fairfax, Va., over the weekend, and now await at-large bids to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif., on June 12. The two will find out tonight if they will be heading out to the national meet as only the top five in each event received the automatic bid.

Tieszen finished eighth in the women's pole vault with a recorded height of 12'6.25". She vaulted her way into the regional meet with a mark of 12'10" and a first place finish at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Invitational earlier in the season, which stands as a WCU outdoor record. Teammate Michelle Velez finished in a tie for ninth this weekend with a vault of 12'1.5". Velez also competed in the 100 meter hurdles, coming in 28th with a time of 14.66. Additionally on the women's side, Leslie Martin came in 24th in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:12.77.

Bailey placed eighth in the men's 800 meter run with a time of 1:49.36, .03 seconds faster than his preliminary mark. Teammate John Robertson finished 18th in the event with a time of 1:51.20. Also for the Catamount men, Milton Bolton finished 24th in the 400 meters, coming in at 47.77. Adam Puett competed in the 1500 meter run, finishing in 3:53.81 for 27th place. Josh Lee placed 31st in the men's javelin with a throw of 170'7". Lee holds the WCU outdoor record with a toss of 193'8" at the Clemson Relays.