Lexington, Ky. – Heidi Hudson’s stellar freshman season and the outdoor campaign for the Western Carolina track and field teams came to a close at the NCAA East First Round on Saturday.

Hudson cleared her first two heights of the day in the women’s high jump competition but was unable to clear her third and final height of 1.76 meters. The standout Catamount was one of fourteen athletes in her flight to advance to 1.76m without a miss but was one of six athletes unable to advance to the next height of 1.81m.

Thanks to clearing the first two heights of 1.66m and 1.71m on her first attempts, Hudson ended the day tied for 31st at the regional meet, the only member of Flight 2 with a top clear of 1.71m to do so. The top eight qualifiers from the regional meet had clearances of 1.84m while the final four cleared 1.81m on the day.

Hudson was the first Catamount on the women’s team to make an appearance in the high jump at the regional meet since Jaelyn Warren did so in 2018. She also posted the best clear at the preliminary round since Xaviera Bass’s 1.72m clear in 2014. WCU high jump record holder Virginia Lacombe’s national championship appearance in 2002 remains the only point-earning effort at the national level for the Catamounts.

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