2026 Catamount Football - 'Extra Points' Game Day Program - vs. Chattanooga by Western Carolina University Athletics

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2026 homecoming nobility pg 9

2026 alumni award winners pgs 10-13

INSIDE

Stadium Game Day Info / Clear Bag Policy..................... 6-7 2026 Catamount Homecoming Nobility........................ 9 2026 WCU Homecoming Awards............................. 10-13 Scouting Western Carolina..............................................14 Depot Pizza – Catamount Photos....................................15 Western Carolina Numerical Roster................................ 17 A Look at Today’s Opponent: Chattanooga....................20 Chattanooga Numerical Roster...................................... 23 Western Carolina vs. Chattanooga – Depth Chart........ 24 Western Carolina vs. Chattanooga – Statistics............. 29 WCU 2026 Season Game-by-Game................................. 32 WCU Head Football Coach, Kerwin Bell.................... 37-38 WCU Football Coaching Staff........................................... 40 WCU Football Support Staff............................................. 42 Fill the Western Sky / Western Skybox........................44-49 WCU Athletics Director, Kyle Pifer.............................. 50-51

WCU Athletics Department Staff...................................... 52 WCU Athletics Coaching Staff.......................................... 54 Champion Credit Union Catamount Club Donor of the Game........56 Catamount Club Membership List................................58-62 Meet the 2026 Catamounts......................................65-72 2026 WCU Football Team Photo.................................... 73 "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band................. 75-76 Dr. Kelli R. Brown, WCU Chancellor................................ 79 Catamount Cheerleaders...............................................80 WCU Dance Team........................................................... 82 Catamount Football – Postseason Teams...................... 84 The Southern Conference and WCU Champions.....86-84 SoCon Football Composite Schedule.............................. 88 NCAA Officials Signals..................................................... 89 Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium......................90 WCU Football Honored Numbers................................... 92

EXTRA POINTS, the official game day program and online

digital guide for Western Carolina Catamount Football, is a publication of the WCU Athletics Media Relations Office. Editorial content, layout and design has been provided by Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations, Daniel Hooker (Western Carolina, 2001) with editorial assistance from Directors of Media Relations Greg Hartlage and Josh Ragsdale. Ragsdale. Special thanks to the previous staffs of WCU Athletics Media Relations and designer Todd Charles. Photography provided by Ashley Evans, Charlie Bulla, Samuel Wallace and various student assistants in WCU's Marketing & Communications; WCU retired University Photographer, Mark Haskett; Andy Padyk; Jason Hall of Valleytown Photo; additional photos from Phil Polito, Paul Setliff, Marlon Howard and Ava Schmitt. Printing is by the on-campus WCU Print Shop. Advertising sales for EXTRA POINTS are administered by Chad Gerrety and Michaela Watkins. To advertise with or sponsor the Catamounts, call (828) 227-2767 or (828) 227-2038.

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FOOD TRAILER ON LOCATION

MONDAY EVENING DURING FOOTBALL SEASON 114 Market St., Cullowhee

NCAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION (FCS) NATIONAL WEEKLY POLLS

AFCA FCS Coaches Poll – Week 8 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

Tarleton State (24) Stephen F. Austin (2) Montana State Youngstown State South Dakota State South Dakota Northern Arizona North Dakota Austin Peay Illinois State Tennessee Tech Lehigh Mercer Montana Lamar Campbell Harvard Monmouth Richmond ETSU UC Davis Jackson State West Florida Southeastern Louisiana South Carolina State

7-0 7-0 6-1 6-2 5-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 5-2 6-1 6-1 6-2 5-3 5-2 6-1 5-0 5-2 5-2 5-2 4-3 6-1 4-2 4-3 5-2

648 2 623 3 591 5 567 6 520 1 491 9 482 10 457 15 452 11 396 13 380 14 375 4 305 16 296 7 288 8 265 18 264 17 200 20 152 22 152 24 124 12 108 NR 57 NR 39 NR 37 NR

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 – Week 8 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

Tarleton State (49) Stephen F. Austin (4) Montana State (3) Youngstown State (1) South Dakota State North Dakota Northern Arizona South Dakota Austin Peay Illinois State Lehigh Tennessee Tech Campbell Montana Harvard Lamar Mercer ETSU Monmouth UC Davis Northern Iowa Weber State Southeastern Lousiana Jackson State Richmond

7-0 7-0 6-1 6-2 5-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 5-2 6-1 6-1 6-1 5-3 5-0 5-2 6-2 5-2 5-2 4-3 3-3 5-3 4-3 6-1 5-2

1,417 1,331 1,285 1,234 1,181 1,123 1,082 1,049 916 823 809 803 721 682 670 592 544 441 335 284 266 179 118 116 106

2 3 5 6 1 11 8 9 12 13 4 15 16 7 17 10 18 20 20 14 19 NR NR NR NR

FCS Nation Radio Top 25 – Week 8 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

Tarleton State Montana State South Dakota State Youngstown State Northern Arizona Stephen F. Austin South Dakota North Dakota Austin Peay Campbell Montana Lehigh ETSU Tennessee Tech Lamar Illinois State Harvard Mercer Weber State Monmouth Richmond Southeastern Louisiana UC Davis Northern Iowa Colgate Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 5

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E.J. WHITMIRE STADIUM POLICIES AND INFORMATION GAME TIMES:

All game times are subject to change. Any updates to kickoff times will be announced through official Western Carolina Athletics communication channels: • X (formerly Twitter): @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB • Facebook: Facebook.com/CatamountSports • Website: CatamountSports.com Please note that ticket and game day parking purchases are nonrefundable in the event of a kickoff time change.

ON-CAMPUS TAILGATING:

Pregame tailgating is permitted only in designated parking areas. • The use of tailgating tents and grills is not allowed in the North Baseball Parking Deck. • Glass containers are prohibited in all on-campus tailgating areas on football game days. • Postgame tailgating is not permitted.

STADIUM RE-ENTRY

E.J. Whitmire Stadium has a NO RE-ENTRY POLICY. Once you exit the stadium, a new ticket is required for admission.

CLEAR BAG POLICY & SECURITY SCREENING:

For the safety of all guests, Western Carolina Athletics enforces a Clear Bag Policy. All bags and personal items are subject to inspection upon entry. Prohibited items include: • Outside food and beverages • Alcoholic beverages • Other restricted items identified by event staff Fans may bring one empty clear plastic water bottle into the stadium for use at water-filling stations and fountains. See the Clear Bag Policy section for complete guidelines.

STADIUM SEAT CUSHIONS AND CHAIRBACKS:

Seat cushions and chairback seats are permitted but must not exceed 18 inches in width to fit within standard stadium seating.

UMBRELLAS:

Umbrellas ARE NOT PERMITTED inside E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Guests should leave umbrellas in their vehicles before entering. Any umbrellas brought to the gates must be left outside the stadium.

ARTIFICIAL NOISEMAKERS:

In accordance with Southern Conference regulations, unsanctioned artificial noisemakers are not permitted, including: • Air horns • Cowbells • Hand clappers or similar devices Approved promotional items, such as Thunder Sticks, may be used when distributed by the University. Fans are asked to be considerate and allow your neighbor to enjoy the game. Fans are also encouraged to keep portable radios at a respectful volume.

ALCOHOL POLICY:

Outside alcohol is strictly prohibited inside E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Coolers and beverage containers are also not permitted. Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase at points of sale throughout the stadium, including: • East and West concourse locations • Paws Porch • Champion Credit Union Corner (by credential only) • End Zone Suites (by credential only) • Chancellor's Club (by credential only) Alcohol sales begin when gates open (90 minutes before kickoff) and conclude at the end of the third quarter. • Must be 21 years of age or older • Valid photo ID required • A maximum purchase of two (2) alcoholic beverages per individual per transaction • ID holder must be present at the time of purchase PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

CONCESSIONS:

Food and beverage options are available throughout the east and west concourses and are operated by Catamount Dining. Concession locations offer: • Pepsi products and Gatorade • Aquafina bottled and Cherokee Water • Snacks and game day favorites Most concession stands accept credit cards and WCU Students may use their declining balance off their CatCard at Catamount Dining stands (not available at the various food truck vendors; no alcohol sales). Select express lines may be cash-only. Additional vendors may include (subject to change): East Side: Wood Fire Grill, Zaxby’s, Chubby Chicks, Appalachian Snow, Sunset Slush, Farmhouse Lemonade West Side: Bens Backdraft BBQ, J&K Lemonade, Kona Ice, Bojangles, Glazed & Infused, Dragon Pit BBQ

PHILLIPS FOOTBALL CENTER:

Access to the following areas requires proper credentials: • Western Skybox Chancellor's Club • Steve White Media Center Guests without the appropriate credentials will be asked to leave these restricted areas.

FIELD ACCESS:

Access to the playing field and sidelines is restricted to properly credentialed individuals. Guests entering the field without authorization or throwing objects onto the field or into the stands are subject to ejection from the stadium.

LOST AND FOUND:

Found items should be turned in to an AXIS Stadium Usher. To claim a lost item, visit the Lost & Found location near the main entrance gates on either side of the stadium. Identification may be required to verify ownership.

NEED ASSISTANCE?:

Game day assistance is available from AXIS Stadium Ushers, located throughout the stadium near ramps and concourse access points.

FIRST AID & EMERGENCY SERVICES:

First aid stations are available on both sides of the stadium concourse. Emergency medical personnel and local physicians are on-site for all home football games. Medical assistance can also be requested through any stadium staff member. An oxygen-equipped ambulance is stationed at the stadium during games. During hot-weather events, cooling and misting stations may be available throughout the concourse.

CATAMOUNT MERCHANDISE:

Official Western Carolina apparel and merchandise are available: Inside the Stadium • Near Gate 1 • Near Gate 4 Outside the Stadium (pregame) • Near Gate 6 The Catamount Store is open on home football game days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shop anytime online at books.wcu.edu or visit CatamountSports.com (Catamount Fan Shop)

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets for Catamount Football will be delivered electronically and may be purchased: Purchase In Advance: • WCU Athletics Ticket Office, first-floor of the Ramsey Center • Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Phone: (828) 227-2401 Purchase on Catamount Game Day: • Grattan Family Gate Ticket Booth • Opens at 10 a.m. Skip the line and purchase tickets anytime at CatamountSports.com. • Tickets and game day parking cannot be resold at the stadium • There is a "no refund" policy in effect on all tickets. • Photo identification is required to pick up tickets left at Will Call.

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY 2026 CATAMOUNT NOBILITY (l-r):

Erica "Tinka" Moten, Gretchen Brooks, Ulysses Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Alyssa Pershad, AJ Andrews, Bricyn Wilkins, Nora Duggan, Brianna Rice, Jay Brown, and Megan Baker

AJ Andrews

Megan Baker

Junior from Charlotte, NC Major: Computer Information System

Senior from Gastonia, NC Major: Integrated Health Sciences

Ulysses Kunaiyi-Akpanah

Erica "Tinka" Moten

Junior from Abuja, Nigeria Major: Nursing

Senior from Shelby, NC Major: Integrated Health Sciences

Gretchen Brooks

Junior from Jonesville, NC Major: Marketing

Alyssa Pershad

Senior from Glen Gardner, NJ Major: Chemistry

Jay Brown

Senior from Rutherfordton, NC Major: Health & Physical Education

Brianna Rice

Senior from Kannapolis, NC Major: Social Work

Nora Duggan

Junior from Taylorsville, NC Major: Marketing & Management

Bricyn Wilkins

Senior from Pembroke, NC Major: Forensic Science & Chemistry

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SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA u WESTERN CAROLINA is looking for home cooking to start its stretch run of five-straight Southern

Conference games, three coming in Cullowhee and two on the road ... Both WCU and CHATTANOOGA enter the weekend off their respective bye weeks ... WCU hosts Chattanooga on Homecoming for the 11th time since moving into the SoCon, posting a 5-5 record including a win back in 2024 (W, 38-34); u The Catamounts play their fourth league game against teams currently in the top half of the SoCon standings, looking to stay unbeaten in #CatamountCountry this season ... u WCU and UTC meet in the "Ingles SoCon Game of the Week," which will be broadcast on the Nexstar family of stations, and simulcast on ESPN+; u BEST GAME DAY IN THE SoCon: Western Carolina enters Homecoming ranked 17th nationally in average home attendance with a Southern Conference-leading 11,479 fans per game ... WCU has put together three electric home victories, including the 10th-largest crowd in facility history and a top-10 triumph over Tennessee Tech, entering the weekend unbeaten in Cullowhee this year; u TAKE IT AWAY, CATAMOUNTS: With 13 turnovers gained (5 fumbles, 8 interceptions) and just four turnovers lost (2 fumbles, 2 interceptions), Western Carolina has a +9 turnover margin, FOURTH in the NCAA FCS nationally ... WCU is THIRD nationally with 1.29 turnovers per game average ... Butler leads the NCAA FCS with a +12 margin (15 gained, 3 lost); u PASSING THE TRADITION: Under head coach KERWIN BELL, WCU's offense has generally found prolific passers ... First-year starter LEX THOMAS is trying to continue that trend, entering the weekend 22ND in the NCAA FCS with an average of 241.86 passing yards per game, second in the SoCon ... His 1,693 passing yards are the second-most in the league ... Thomas has EIGHT touchdown passes, FIVE rushing touchdowns, and ONE touchdown reception. u WESTERN CAROLINA and CHATTANOOGA meet for the 52nd time in series history with the Catamounts trailing, 21-30 ... Last year, the Catamounts earned a fourth-straight victory over Chattanooga, matching its series-long with a second four-game win streak following the four-game run in 1991-94 ... WCU is 12-14 in games played in Cullowhee with two-straight wins; u Each of the last four series meetings – each WCU victories – have been decided in single possession games and by a combined 16 points, or an average of margin of just four points; u McCOLLUM ON MIDSEASON MITCHELL WATCH LIST: WCU PK BRYAN McCOLLUM was named to

the Fred Mitchell Award Mid-season Watch List, joining 40 other kickers from five levels of collegiate football ... Presented annually, the Fred Mitchell Award recognizes placekickers for excellence on the field while also honoring community service and civic involvement ... McCollum was also selected as a THIRD-TEAM Mid-season All-American by Phil Steele; u McCollum is one of 18 NCAA FCS kickers selected to the Mid-season Watch List, including six representatives from the SoCon ... He is joined by Carter Brown (Tennessee Tech), Nathan Chapman (Furman), JUDE KELLEY (Chattanooga), Ewan Johnson (ETSU), and Simon Zeidan (Mercer); u With a team-high 59 points and an average of 8.4 points per game, McCollum enters the week second in the SoCon in scoring ... He is 11-for-12 on field goal attempts, leading both the SoCon and all NCAA FCS kickers with at least 10 attempts at 91.7%.

WESTERN CAROLINA / CHATTANOOGA INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES

ALL-TIME SERIES. . . . . WCU TRAILS, 21-30 (W–4) First Meeting. . . . Oct. 20, 1973– Cullowhee (W, 14-0) In Cullowhee. . . . . . . . . . . . WCU trails, 12-14 (W–2) In Chattanooga, Tenn.. . . . WCU trails, 9-16 (W–2) In Southern Conference. . . . . . WCU trails, 20-28 Current Streak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WCU, W–4 WCU Most Points Scored. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 (1994) WCU Average Points Scored. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.65 UTC Most Points Scored. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 (2019) UTC Average Points Scored . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.98 Longest WCU Win Streak:. . 4 gms (twice, current) Longest WCU Losing Skid:. . . . . . 8 gms (2009-16)

LAST 10 SERIES MEETINGS (5-5-0): Nov. 1, 2025

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Nov. 2, 2024

Cullowhee

W, 35-28 W, 38-34

Oct. 7, 2023

Chattanooga, Tenn.

W, 52-50

Nov. 19, 2022

Cullowhee

W, 32-29

Oct. 2, 2021

Chattanooga, Tenn.

L, 45-17

Sept. 28, 2019

Chattanooga, Tenn.

L, 60-36

Oct. 13, 2018

Cullowhee

L, 26-6

Sept. 30, 2017

Chattanooga, Tenn.

W, 45-7

Oct. 29, 2016

Cullowhee

L, 38-25

Oct. 31, 2015

Chattanooga, Tenn.

L, 41-13

u CATAMOUNT IMPACT PLAYER NOTES:

WR JAI BOYD ranks second on the squad with 22 catches for 328 yards, both putting him ninth in the conference ... His team-leading four receiving scores are tied for second in the SoCon ... the Ridgeway, S.C., product has TWO career 100-yard receiving games, going for 102 yards at Furman in 2024 and a career-best 103 earlier this season against Presbyterian – both on just three catches ... Boyd has 43 career catches for 656 yards and five TDs. u DB JAYLEN CORNELIUS leads the Catamount defense with a team-best three interceptions, intercepting two at Mercer – the 19th time in program history that a Catamount recorded two interceptions in the same game and the most recent since KEN MOORE JR. had two picks against Furman (10/11/25) ... Tied for second in the SoCon with three INTs, Cornelius has matched the team's 2025 leaders (KEN MOORE JR., and Hasaan Sykes) with three … Jordy Lowery had six INTs in 2024, the most in a season by a Catamount since Trey Morgan with six back in 2014. u

SENIOR WR #1 JAI BOYD

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SOPH. DB #6 JAYDEN CORNELIUS

WCU HEAD COACH KERWIN BELL

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CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL – DELIVERING PHOTOS OF THE LAST TWO GAMES

Photos by: Mark Haskett

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WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS – 2026 NUMERICAL ROSTER NO.

NAME

POS. HT.

WT.

YR.

HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)

NO.

NAME

POS. HT.

WT.

YR.

HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)

AJ Colombo

5-8

170

5th

Waxhaw, N.C. (Cuthbertson HS)

Jordan Martin-Durham

BAN

6-3

260

So.

Jacksonville, Fla. (Zarephath Academy)

Blue Monroe

6-1

225

5th

Concord, N.C. (Jay M. Robinson HS)

Trey Berry III

6-1

220

So.

Bartow, Fla. (Lakeland Christian HS)

Jai Boyd

6-2

180

Sr.

Ridgeway, S.C. (Fairfield Central HS)

Devon Wilson Jr.

5-11

190

Fr.

Mauldin, S.C. (Mauldin HS)

Ken Moore Jr.

SPUR 5-10 165

5th

Miami, Fla. (Christopher Columbus HS)

Jayden Joselin

6-0

185

Fr.

North Lauderdale, Fla. (Monarch HS)

Lex Thomas

5-11 205

Jr.

Raleigh, N.C. (NC State / Heritage HS)

Jonathan Powell-Battle

6-0

170

Fr.

Wilson, N.C. (Wilson Prep Academy)

Na’Koma Simpson-Nealy

5-10 175

Jr.

Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Seminole HS)

Landon Pope

5-10 225

Fr.

Canton, N.C. (Pisgah HS)

Josh Perry

6-0

205

So.

Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater HS)

Beady Waddell V

6-0

220

Jr.

Summerville, S.C. (West Mecklenburg (N.C.) HS)

Joshua Collins

6-1

225

Jr.

Bryson City, N.C. (Swain County HS)

Luke Waters

K/P

6-2

205

Fr.

Toccoa, Ga. (Stephens County HS)

Kha’leal Sterling

5-9

170

So.

Miami, Fla. (Miami Central HS)

Braeden Barger

6-1

230

So.

Weddington, N.C. (Weddington HS) Rock Hill, S.C. (Northwestern HS)

Andre Jackson Jr.

5-10 180

So.

Charlotte, N.C. (Hampton / Corvian Community School)

Isaac McLellan

6-2

240

5th

Michael Rossin

6-0

200

So.

Live Oak, Fla. (Suwannee HS)

Honor Paxton

6-3

215

Fr.

Apex, N.C. (Middle Creek HS)

Braylon Jones

6-1

205

Sr.

Rockmart, Ga. (Reinhardt Univ. / Rockmart HS)

Nolan McClanahan

6-1

220

So.

Lake Mary, Fla. (Lake Mary HS)

Marcus Striggles

5-9

180

Jr.

North Lauderdale, Fla. (Concord Univ. / Dillard HS)

Dylan Harris

6-5

245

Fr.

Ocala, Fla. (Vanguard HS)

Jayden Cornelius

5-10 175

So.

Fort Meade, Fla. (Durant HS)

Roman Jones

6-3

230

Fr.

Robbinsville, N.C. (Robbinsville HS)

Trey Walker

5-10 175

So.

Hoschton, Ga. (Mill Creek HS)

Bryce Hart

6-2

220

So.

Ringgold, Ga. (Ringgold HS)

Marseille Taylor

6-2

190

5th

Sanford, Fla. (Stephen F. Austin / USF / Riverside City / Seminole HS)

Xavier Nocco

6-1

200

Fr.

Tampa, Fla. (Jesuit HS)

Marlin Cochran

6-0

200

Sr.

Miami, Fla. (Miami Northwestern HS)

Aaron Sanez

6-2

295

5th

Clearwater, Fla. (Clearwater HS)

Ryan McKinnis

6-2

220

Sr.

Buford, Ga. (Appalachian State / Buford HS)

Brayson McIver

6-2

280

Jr.

Charlotte, N.C. (Coastal Carolina / Butler HS)

Ian Grissom

6-1

170

So.

Rock Hill, S.C. (Rock Hill HS)

Zach Watson

6-1

295

Sr.

Waycross, Ga. (Ware County HS)

Bode Burns

6-5

245

Jr.

Dunnellon, Fla. (Dunnellon HS)

Secrea Algie

6-5

320

Jr.

Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood HS)

Eldrick Robinson II

6-0

230

5th

Pensacola, Fla. (RMU / Wake / Ga. Southern / Washington HS)

Aaron McIver

6-2

305

5th

Charlotte, N.C. (Gardner-Webb / Butler HS)

Santana Carlos

5-11

175

Fr.

Hollywood, Fla. (Flanagan HS)

Kaden Powell

6-8

270

So.

Woodstock, Ga. (Brevard College / Etowah HS)

Jabari McWilliams

6-0

270

Jr.

Picayune, Miss. (Mississippi Gulf Coast / Picayune HS)

Isaac Boulger

6-2

295

Jr.

Northport, Ala. (Auburn / Tuscaloosa County HS)

Isaac Lee

6-4

190

Jr.

Concord, N.C. (Jay M. Robinson HS)

Bryan McCollum

5-8

165

So.

Sanford, N.C. (Southern Lee HS)

Marco Patierno

6-1

230

5th

Wake Forest, N.C. (Eastern Michigan / Elon / Heritage HS)

Marcus Trout

5-11

175

So.

Cocoa, Fla. (Cocoa HS)

Jake Morrow

6-0

195

Fr.

Grand Blanc, Mich. (Grand Blanc Community School)

Brian Wheat

6-3

285

Fr.

Callahan, Fla. (West Nassau HS)

Julian Quintero

6-0

200

Jr.

St. Augustine, Fla. (St. Augustine HS)

Thomas Guerrero

5-9

160

Jr.

Greenville, S.C. (Greenville HS)

Richard Hollis

5-8

170

So.

Pompano Beach, Fla. (Blanche Ely HS)

Konrad Henderson

6-3

305

Sr.

Alpharetta, Ga. (Chattahoochee HS)

Caleb Turner-Allen

BAN

6-2

250

Jr.

Miami, Fla. (Dr. Michael M. Krop HS)

Nicholas Foster

6-1

295

So.

Charlotte, N.C. (Indiana Land HS)

Kale Woodburn

5-8

170

Jr.

Warner Robins, Ga. (Cincinnati / Houston County HS)

Steven Hamby

6-5

325

Sr.

Statesville, N.C. (Statesville HS)

Vanier Baptiste III

6-3

280

Jr.

Fort Myers, Fla. (Dunbar HS)

Aidan Cooper

6-4

305

So.

Charlotte, N.C. (Butler HS)

Michael Davis Jr.

6-0

170

Fr.

Leesville, La. (Leesville HS)

Cole Cooke

6-8

330

So.

Fort Myers, Fla. (Riverdale HS)

Hank Bodine

6-0

230

So.

Velva, N.D. (Velva DAG HS)

Sawyer Nelson

6-3

280

Fr.

Lenoir, N.C. (Hibriten HS)

Caleb Tucker

6-2

200

Fr.

Woodbridge, Va. (Woodbridge HS)

Andrew Threatt

6-6

285

5th

Charlotte, N.C. (Gardner-Webb / Metrolina Christian Academy)

Chase Kerns

6-1

280

Jr.

Decatur, Ga. (Georgia Military / Iowa Western CC / Cedar Grove HS)

Colin McClellan

6-3

265

Fr.

Plant City, Fla. (Durant HS)

Patrick Harding

6-3

190

Fr.

Zephyrhills, Fla. (Zephyrhills HS)

Renard Smith

6-4

325

5th

Dallas, Ga. (University of Pikeville / East Paulding HS)

Ja’Torian “Duke” Mack

5-11

185

So.

Eatonville, Fla. (Appalachian State / Edgewater HS)

John Hammond

6-5

320

So.

Spartanburg, S.C. (Spartanburg HS)

Matthew Keener

6-2

200

Jr.

Pilot Mountain, N.C. (East Surry HS)

J’veon Bush

6-5

320

So.

Orlando, Fla. (Jones HS)

Trystan Anderson

6-4

255

5th

Buffalo Grove, Ill. (Drake / Buffalo Grove HS)

Vito Moriana-Sigel

6-5

315

5th Estepona, Spain (Miss. Valley State / Trinity Valley CC / Kiski School)

Mouhamadou Mane

6-2

180

Fr.

Kathleen, Ga. (Veterans HS)

Corey Swint

6-0

170

Fr.

Miami, Fla. (Killian HS)

Cain Jefferson

BAN

6-3

225

So.

Decatur, Ga. (Columbia HS)

Emanuel Palmer

5-8

160

Fr.

Collierville, Tenn. (Collierville HS)

Jadarius Dobie

5-8

170

Fr.

Lakeland, Fla. (Lakeland HS)

Davon Washington

5-8

160

Fr.

Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Lake Brantley HS)

Quency Grant III

5-10 170

Fr.

Columbia, S.C. (Ridge View HS)

Austin Cunningham

6-0

185

Jr.

Columbia, S.C. (White Knoll HS)

Joshua Balloon Jr.

5-9

Fr.

Tampa, Fla. (Gaither HS)

Jemarious Reaves

6-1

190

Jr.

Hopkins, S.C. (Lower Richland HS) Springfield, Ill. (Coastal Carolina / Springfield HS)

170

Nassor Ashenafi

SPUR 5-9

170

So.

Washington, D.C. (Mallard Creek (N.C.) HS)

Paul Hartman III

6-5

240

Jr.

Derrick Davis Jr.

6-1

210

5th

Pittsburgh, Pa. (Pittsburgh / LSU / Gateway HS)

Davis Waddell

6-5

220

Fr.

Cartersville, Ga. (Cartersville HS)

Anthony Benjamin

5-10 170

Sr.

Fort Myers, Fla. (Jacksonville State / Dunbar HS)

Jake Young

6-3

245

5th

Waxhaw, N.C. (Charlotte / Marvin Ridge HS) Tarboro, N.C. (Tarboro HS)

Terrell Poyser

6-3

170

Fr.

Wildwood, Fla. (South Sumter HS)

Cole Craddock

6-4

245

So.

Noah Best

5-11

195

So.

Charlotte, N.C. (Corvian Community HS)

Ellis Chappell

6-0

185

So.

Hickory, N.C. (Hickory HS)

Caleb Young Jr.

6-0

210

Fr.

Gainesville, Fla. (Buchholz HS)

Da’Shawn Davis

6-2

235

5th

Charlotte, N.C. (Georgia Southern / Hough HS)

Devin Brown

5-10 160

So.

Miami, Fla. (Northwestern HS)

Jakoby Diamond

6-1

305

So.

Cedartown, Ga. (Tuskegee / Cedartown HS)

Jermiyah Douglas

SPUR 5-10 175

Fr.

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)

Brandon Joseph II

6-3

275

So.

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)

Elijah Hadley

5-10 200

Sr.

Charlotte, N.C. (West Liberty / Mallard Creek HS)

Malachi Hill

6-3

295

Fr.

Burgaw, N.C. (Pender HS)

Chris Hobbs

6-2

180

So.

Decatur, Ga. (Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School)

Mark Fitzgerald

K/P

6-1

210

Fr.

Dublin, Ireland (Clongowes Wood College SJ)

Christian Robbins

6-1

190

So.

Orlando, Fla. (Jones HS)

Jeremy Johnson II

5-10 300

Jr.

Atlanta, Ga. (Concord University / Parkview HS)

Jaden Meeks

6-2

225

Jr.

Charlotte, N.C. (Julius L. Chambers HS)

Fernando Jeanty

6-5

270

Jr.

North Miami Beach, Fla. (North Miami Beach HS)

Alant’e Reese

6-2

205

Fr.

Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (Choctawhatchee HS)

Aiden Black

6-1

295

Fr.

Concord, N.C. (Jay M. Robinson HS)

AJ Mintze

6-0

185

So.

Miami, Fla. (Miami Norland HS)

Adrian Stone

6-3

290

Jr.

Fort Myers, Fla. (North Fort Myers HS)

Gavin Rowell

6-3

255

5th

Melbourne, Fla. (Tusculum / Melbourne HS)

Brady Hirschy

6-4

200

Fr.

Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater HS)

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 17

w 2026 CATAMOUNT EXTRA POINTS – GAME DAY PROGRAM w

A LOOK AT TODAY’S OPPONENT: CHATTANOOGA MOCS u CHATTANOOGA comes to Cullowhee off its bye week, winners of three of its last four overall on the

year ... UTC earned home league victories over Wofford (41-7) and Samford (19-3), with a road win in the Lowcountry over The Citadel (27-8) ... the lone loss for the Mocs came in the "Rail Rivalry" at East Tennessee State, falling 14-3; u Chattanooga has been the winningest program in the Southern Conference since the start of 2011 both in league wins (76) and winning percentage (.644 / 76-42) ... Samford (67-52), Furman (66-53) and Wofford (65-54) also have 60+ wins, while Mercer (.588), Samford (.563), Furman (.555) & the Terriers (.546) are also above .500 over that same span; u CHATTANOOGA FOOTBALL NOTES; u Chattanooga is 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Conference, which is tied for second with Tennessee Tech (3-1) and Mercer (3-1) ... That trio trails ETSU (3-0) by a half-game; u Chattanooga hosted Tennessee Tech earlier this season – but it was NOT a scheduled conference (#) game ... the SoCon KEPT its eight-game schedule in 2026 ... Due to scheduling conflicts, not every league school could move to a nine-game slate – so this one was kept "off the books" ... Both the Mocs and Golden Eagles do face each of the other eight league members; u More than 60 percent of UTC's 2026 roster (65 players) is in its third year or later of collegiate experience ... 28 of those 65 are original Mocs signees ... the largest portion are juniors which accounts for 34 members ... Half of those have spent their entire careers in the Scenic City; u UTC leads the Southern Conference in: scoring defense (12.57) – second in the NCAA FCS; rush defense (118.9 yds/gm); pass defense (140.6 yds/gm) – second in the NCAA FCS; total defense (259.4 yds/gm) – third in the NCAA FCS; sacks (3.1) – tied for fifth in the NCAA FCS; first downs allowed (103) – seventh in the NCAA FCS; as well as turnovers lost (4) & fumbles lost (1); u The Mocs have only surrendered 88 points (12.6 ppg) through seven games, its fewest since 78 in 1985 ... the UTC school record for a season is just 9.1 point per game in 1951 and 17.1 ppg in 2021 in the modern era; u CHATTANOOGA was picked FIFTH in the 2026 SoCon Preseason Coaches Poll, just behind Western Carolina in the standings ... UTC saw SEVEN players named to the preseason All-SoCon teams – AIDAN DONALD (OL), ORLANDO DANIELS (DL), ZION RUTLEDGE (LB), and KAM BAAH-SLAY (DB) on the first team ... JOSH WILLIAMS (WR), KY TAYO (DL), and HEATH JEHU (P) on the second team. u CHATTANOOGA MOCS IMPACT PLAYER NOTES: u RB KEVIN LALIN – Has rushed for 690 yards on the year to lead the Southern Conference and ranks 10th nationally in rushing, averaging a league-best 98.6 rushing yards per game ... Lalin is just 52 rushing yards shy of 3,000 for his collegiate career, which includes his first three seasons at the NCAA Division II level at Limestone and Catawba; LB ZION RUTLEDGE – Has played his entire collegiate career at Chattanooga, closing in on 200 career tackles ... Comes to Cullowhee leading the SoCon with 63 total tackles, averaging a league-best 9.0 per game which ranks him 25th in the NCAA FCS ... He is second on the UTC squad with 4.5 tackles for loss; u CHATTANOOGA HEAD COACH RUSTY WRIGHT is the fourth-longest tenured head coach in UTC football history, entering the weekend just FOUR wins shy of 50 ... He is vying to become just the third Mocs' head coach to reach the 50-win plateau – Scrappy Moore (170), Russ Huesman (59) – and just the second with 40+ SoCon victories (Huesman, 42); u Chattanooga has finished .500-or-better in Southern Conference play in each of his seven previous seasons with the Mocs ... UTC has been the only conference school NOT to have a losing league record over that same span; u Wright is a 1995 Chattanooga graduate who was a four-year letter winner, playing tight end and one season at center for the Mocs ... He caught over 50 passes alongside future NFL players Terrell Owens, Jerry Ellison, and Marrio Grier.

ABOUT CHATTANOOGA SCOUTING THE MOCS

QUICK FACTS:

Location:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chattanooga, Tenn. Founded:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1886 Enrollment:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,809 Colors:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Navy Blue, Gold, Silver Conference:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Southern (SoCon) Facility (Capacity):. . . . . . . Finley Stadium (20,668) Chancellor:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lori Mann Bruce Athletics Director:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Wharton Senior Woman Administrator:. . . . . . . Laura Herron Head Coach:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rusty Wright Record at UTC:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-37 (9th yr) Overall Record: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Same

2026 SCHEDULE (4-3, 3-1 SoCon): Aug. 27

at West Georgia

SEPT. 5

#12 TENNESSEE TECH #

W, 24-10 L, 24-9

Sept. 12

at Eastern Kentucky

L, 22-17

SEPT. 19

WOFFORD *

W, 41-7

Sept. 26

at The Citadel *

W, 27-8

Oct. 3

at ETSU *

L, 14-3

OCT. 10

SAMFORD *

W, 19-3 2:30 pm

Oct. 3

at Western Carolina *

OCT. 31

VMI *

1 PM

NOV. 7

MERCER *

1 PM

Nov. 14

at Furman *

1 pm

Nov. 21

at Alabama

3 pm ET

SENIOR RB #9 KEVIN LALIN

20 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

HEAD COACH RUSTY WRIGHT

SENIOR LB #42 ZION RUTLEDGE

w 2026 CATAMOUNT EXTRA POINTS – GAME DAY PROGRAM w

Special thanks to the following sponsors for providing free tickets to families in the community as part of our

CATS CARE PROGRAM!

22 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

w 2026 CATAMOUNT EXTRA POINTS – GAME DAY PROGRAM w

CHATTANOOGA MOCS – 2026 NUMERICAL ROSTER NO.

NAME

POS. HT.

WT.

YR.

HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)

NO.

NAME

Journey Wyche

5-10 206

Jr.

Kristian Ozane

5-11

218

Sr.

Martez Cooksey, Jr.

5-9

187

Sr.

Antioch, Tenn. (Ensworth HS)

Taylor Crumedy

5-10 167

Jr.

AJ Wallace

6-2

190

Jr.

POS. HT.

Louisville, Ky. (Ballard HS)

Owen Maddox

Westlake, La. (Davidson / Westlake HS)

Gunnar Clary

Devin Lively

Cortelyou, Ala. (Leroy HS)

South Pittsburg, Tenn. (Arkansas State / South Pittsburg HS)

WT.

YR.

HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)

5-11 205

Fr.

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Notre Dame HS)

6-1

218

So.

Eaton, Colo. (Beech (Tenn.) HS)

6-2

289

Jr.

Lebanon, Tenn. (Air Force Prep / Friendship Christian)

Nasan Houston

6-1

213

So.

Augusta, Ga. (Benedict / Cross Creek HS)

EJ Daniels

6-1

315

Fr.

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Boyd-Buchanan HS) Chattanooga, Tenn. (Samford / Cleveland HS)

Josh Williams

6-0

185

Jr.

Anderson, S.C. (Westside HS)

Nate Carter

6-0

263

So.

TJ Fields

5-8

163

Jr.

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Sewanee / Baylor School)

Daniel Oduola

6-5

233

Fr.

Hampton, Ga. (Hampton HS)

Keyshawn Jackson

6-3

186

Jr.

Charlotte, N.C. (East Carolina / Harding HS)

Ky Tayo

6-0

284

5th

Columbia, S.C. (Georgia Southern / Spring Valley)

John McIntyre

6-3

243

Jr.

Athens, Ala. (Athens HS)

Nick Paul

6-2

296

Jr.

Decatur, Ga. (Clarke Central HS)

Kelby Glaze

5-11

194

Fr.

Lincolnton, Ga. (Lincoln County HS)

Jermaine Stinson

6-0

214

So.

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Chattanooga Christian)

Kevin Lalin

5-9

197

Sr.

Spring Lake, N.C. (Catawba / Overhills HS)

Josh Castle

6-4

254

Fr.

Ringgold, Ga. (Heritage HS)

Orlando Daniels

6-5

242

Sr.

Canton, Mich. (Albion / Plymouth HS)

Christian Wood

5-8

215

Jr.

Lawrenceville, Ga. (Presbyterian / Cass HS)

Jestin Gilmore

6-2

229

5th

Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Tuscaloosa HS)

J.J. Heath

6-3

235

Jr.

Cincinnati, Ohio (Turpin HS)

Matthew Clemmer

6-4

222

Sr.

Maryville, Tenn. (Maryville HS)

Peter Sesterhenn

5-11

186

Sr.

Signal Mountain, Tenn. (Signal Mountain HS)

Nick Coates

5-9

185

6th

Louisville, Ky. (Eastern Illinois / Male HS)

Jacob Ziegler

6-4

302

Jr.

Sandusky, Ohio (Morehead State / Perkins HS)

Hudson Gray

5-11

180

Jr.

Dalton, Ga. (Northwest Whitfield HS)

Xander Smith

5-10 290

Sr.

Marks, Miss. (Virginia University Lynchburg / Lake Cormorant HS)

Ashton Schumann

6-2

187

Sr.

League City, Texas (Central Oklahoma / Clear Springs HS)

Tracy Jackson

6-1

301

Jr.

Memphis, Tenn. (Whitehaven HS)

Parker Awad

5-11

191

Sr.

Costa Mesa, Calif. (New Mexico State / Edison HS)

Will Davidson

5-10 202

Jr.

Marietta, Ga. (Southeastern Louisiana / Lassiter HS)

Jordan Davis

6-2

197

Jr.

Columbia, Tenn. (Ball State / Columbia Central HS)

Watts Alexander

6-4

294

Jr.

Mountain Brook, Ala. (Mountain Brook HS)

Battle Alberson

6-2

210

Jr.

Gulf Breeze, Fla. (Gulf Breeze HS)

Jaden Taylor

6-2

292

Sr.

Tullahoma, Tenn. (Bethel (Tenn.) / Tullahoma HS) Atlanta, Ga. (Sewanee / Stockbridge HS)

Heath Jehu

6-1

176

Sr.

Birmingham, Ala. (Kentucky / John Carroll Catholic HS)

Austin Rudd

6-1

282

Jr.

Grant Moore

6-0

190

Fr.

Brunswick, Ga. (Brunswick HS)

Aidan Donald

6-3

275

Sr.

Lebanon, Tenn. (Lebanon HS)

LaRawn Robinson

6-1

220

Jr.

Centereach, N.Y. (Southern Connecticut State / Centereach HS)

Royce Baucom

6-4

281

Jr.

Guntersville, Ala. (Arkansas State / Guntersville HS)

AD Davis

6-2

180

Fr.

Smyrna, Tenn. (Blackman HS)

Connor Coffman

6-4

288

So.

College Grove, Tenn. (Page HS)

Davon Kiser

5-6

171

5th

Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. (Cornell / Cardinal Gibbons HS)

Johnny Davis

6-2

301

So.

Hixson, Tenn. (Soddy Daisy HS)

Mason Bryant

5-8

184

So.

Nashville, Tenn. (Samford / Father Ryan HS)

Malik Watts

6-4

297

So.

Pell City, Ala. (Pell City HS)

Jaylen Mosby

5-10 164

Jr.

Antioch, Tenn. (UVA Wise / Cane Ridge HS)

Lawson Wade

6-1

284

Jr.

Cincinnati, Ohio (Centre / Mariemont HS)

Tate O'Bryan

6-3

225

5th

Cleveland, Tenn. (Lenior-Rhyne / Cleveland HS)

Will Brown

6-0

281

Sr.

Memphis, Tenn. (Lausanne HS)

Kam Baah-Slay

6-3

198

Sr.

Nashville, Tenn. (Father Ryan HS)

Simeon Alphonse

6-3

287

Fr.

Manchester, Tenn. (Coffee County HS)

TJ Worthy

5-10 196

So.

Gadsden, Ala. (Gadsden City HS)

Jules Ney

6-2

295

Jr.

Wiesbaden, Germany (Rabun Gap HS)

Malachi Jeffries

5-11 209

Sr.

Cartersville, Ga. (Cartersville HS)

Jared Bafford

6-2

292

Fr.

Oak Ridge, Tenn. (Oak Ridge HS)

Caden Ali

5-11

167

Fr.

Birmingham, Ala. (Hewitt-Trussville HS)

Hamilton Black

6-3

277

Fr.

Suwanee, Ga. (Lambert HS)

D.J. Adams

6-0

176

Sr.

Cleveland, Tenn. (Cleveland HS)

Jaden George

6-0

180

So.

Marietta, Ga. (Kell HS)

Erik Bussmann

5-10 185

Jr.

Southlake, Texas (Carroll HS)

Gray Kelley

6-0

197

Jr.

Acworth, Ga. (Allatoona HS)

Jaden Nelson

5-11

So.

Tifton, Ga. (Tift County HS)

Brohns Donaldson

5-9

189

Sr.

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Kentucky Wesleyan / Boyd-Buchanan HS)

Kaden Edwards

5-10 165

Fr.

Pinson, Ala. (Pinson-Valley HS)

KaJuan Harris

6-2

190

So.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. (Beech HS)

Anton Ricumstrict

6-5

244

6th

Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Delaware State / Mt. Pleasant HS)

Boobie Leavell

5-11

178

Fr.

Clinton, Tenn. (Anderson County HS) Whispering Pines, N.C. (Union Pines HS)

197

Jack Ruban

6-0

186

Fr.

Canton, Ga. (Cherokee HS)

Hayne Tobias

6-3

221

Fr.

Harrison Bey-Buie

5-10 218

7th

Philadelphia, Pa. (Northern Iowa / Moline (Ill.) HS)

Joseph Brigmon

6-5

207

Fr.

Pineville, Ky. (Bell County HS)

Bryce Washington

6-1

Jr.

Springfield, Ohio (Ohio Dominican / Springfield HS)

Hudson Hullett

5-9

167

Fr.

Chatsworth, Ga. (North Murray HS)

225

Amari Matthews

6-0

157

Fr.

Birmingham, Ala. (Wenonah HS)

Landon Strickland

6-3

232

So.

Union Grove, Ala. (Arab HS)

Taylor Lawrence

6-2

176

So.

Franklin, Tenn. (Independence HS)

TJ Briggs

6-6

247

So.

Nashville, Tenn. (Lipscomb Academy)

Travarius Flood

6-0

199

Jr.

Greenbrier, Tenn. (Greenbrier/Bethel HS)

Hunter Teal

6-0

241

Jr.

Marietta, Ga. (Miami (OH) / Walton HS)

Alandias Thomas

5-11

164

Fr.

Birmingham, Ala. (Ramsay HS)

Isaiah Harvey

6-0

261

Jr.

Warner Robins, Ga. (Northside HS)

Jayden Rush

5-11

178

Fr.

Nashville, Tenn. (Franklin Road Academy)

Montrell Henderson

6-2

298

5th

Riverdale, Ga. (Charles Drew HS)

Rahmaan Rinkin

5-11

177

Sr.

Bartlett, Tenn. (Northwestern State / Bartlett HS)

Jude Kelley

6-1

184

7th

Acworth, Ga. (Georgia Tech / Allatoona HS)

Jarian Dunlap, Jr.

6-3

194

5th

LaVergne, Tenn. (St. Ambrose / Stewart’s Creek HS)

Mekhi Bell

6-4

297

So.

Spring Hill, Tenn. (Summit HS)

Landon Feggins

6-0

222

Jr.

Athens, Tenn. (McMinn County HS)

Myles Mays

6-2

282

So.

Calhoun, Ga. (Marion County)

Zion Rutledge

5-11 225

Sr.

Powder Springs, Ga. (Hillgrove HS)

Ryan Bell

6-3

257

Jr.

Atlanta, Ga. (Bethune-Cookman / Mount Zion HS) Savannah, Ga. (Savannah Country Day)

CJ Smith

6-1

243

Jr.

Knoxville, Tenn. (Knox West HS)

Andrew Wynn

6-4

239

So.

Dacian Davis

5-11 264

Fr.

Monroe, Ga. (Monroe Area HS)

Xavier Parker

6-2

222

So.

Cartersville, Ga. (Cartersville HS)

Kade Parker

5-11

186

Fr.

Tunnel Hill, Ga. (Northwest Whitfield HS)

Terry Mikell

6-0

278

Sr.

Statesboro, Ga. (Presbyterian / SE Bulloch HS)

Gavin Helton

5-11

218

Jr.

Memphis, Tenn. (University School)

Cruz Lee

6-5

264

Fr.

Northport, Ala. (Northridge HS)

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 23

w 2026 CATAMOUNT EXTRA POINTS – GAME DAY PROGRAM w

WESTERN CAROLINA – DEPTH CHART CATAMOUNTS OFFENSE (PRO SPREAD) QB

2 11 - or 17 RB 3 24 WR–X 5 - OR 10 WR–Y 0 6 WR–Z 1 14 - or 13 TE 87 9 OL 72 58 OL 56 79 OL 53 52 OL 67 58 OL 55 75

LEX THOMAS Isaac Lee Patrick Harding JOSH PERRY Anthony Benjamin MICHAEL ROSSIN SANTANA CARLOS AJ COLAOMBO Marcus Striggles JAI BOYD Kale Woodburn Richard Hollis JAKE YOUNG Bode Burns ANDREW THREATT Isaac Boulger AARON McIVER Vito Moriana-Siegel ZACH WATSON Brayson McIver STEVEN HAMBY Isaac Boulger SECREA ALGIE Renard Smith

5-11 6-4 6-3 6-0 5-10 6-0 5-11 5-8 5-9 6-2 5-8 5-8 6-3 6-5 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-1 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-4

205 190 190 205 170 195 175 170 180 180 170 165 245 245 285 295 305 315 295 280 325 295 320 325

JR. Jr. Fr. SO. Sr. SO. FR. 5TH Jr. SR. Jr. So. 5TH Jr. 5TH Jr. 5TH 5th SR. Jr. SR. Jr. JR. 5th

DE - or - NT - or - DT BNDT - or - LB LB - or - SPUR CB SS - or - FS CB

18 10 33 91 97 99 16 14 90 13 34 3 18 0 11 15 1 21 4 7 2 17 31 5 12 6 29

TRYSTAN ANDERSON Jabari McWilliams Gavin Rowell JAKOBY DIAMOND Fernando Jeanty Adrian Stone CHASE KERNS Vanier Baptiste III DA'SHAWN DAVIS Caleb Turner-Allen Jordan Martin-Durham JOSHUA COLLINS Ryan McInnis BLUE MONROE Marco Patierno Hank Bodine KEN MOORE JR. Nassor Ashenafi ANDRE JACKSON JR. Marseille Taylor NA'KOMA SIMPSON-NEALY Ja'Torian Mack Alant'e Reese BRAYLON JONES Juilian Quintero JAYDEN CORNELIUS Christian Robbins

6-4 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 5-10 5-9 5-10 6-2 5-10 5-11 6-2 6-1 6-0 5-10 6-1

255 270 255 305 270 290 280 280 235 250 260 225 220 225 230 260 165 170 180 190 175 185 205 205 200 175 190

5TH Jr. 5th SO. Jr. Jr. JR. Jr. 5TH Jr. So. JR. Sr. 5TH 5th So. 5TH So. SO. 5th JR. So. Fr. SR. Jr. SO. So.

95 42

MARK FITZGERALD Luke Waters

6-1 6-2

210 205

FR. Fr.

PK 60 95

BRYAN MCCOLLUM Mark Fitzgerald

5-8 6-1

165 210

SO. Fr.

THOMAS GUERRERO

5-9

165

SO.

95 63

MARK FITZGERALD Thomas Guerrero

6-1 5-9

210 165

FR. So.

LS - OR -

57 50

KADEN POWELL XAVIER NOCCO

6-8 6-1

270 200

SO. FR.

KOR - AND -

13 24

RICHARD HOLLIS ANTHONY BENJAMIN

5-8 5-10

170 170

SO. SR.

0 6

AJ COLOMBO Marcus Striggles

5-8 5-9

170 180

5TH Jr.

CATAMOUNTS DEFENSE (MULTIPLE 4–2–5)

CATAMOUNTS SPECIAL TEAMS

24 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

CHATTANOOGA – DEPTH CHART MOCS OFFENSE QB - or RB WR WR WR TE - or LT LG C RG RT

16 15 12 9 0 80 83 14 13 28 3 88 87 22 66 69 64 68 50 74 56 73 62 70

BATTLE ALBERSON Parker Awad Matthew Clemmer KEVIN LALIN Journey Wyche JADEN GEORGE Boobie Leavell ASHTON SCHUMANN Hudson Gray ERIK BUSSMANN Taylor Crumedy TJ BRIGGS Landon Strickland Tate O'Bryan WATTS ALEXANDER Aidan Donald TRACY JACKSON Austin Rudd DEVIN LIVELY Lawson Wade NICK PAUL Malik Watts JACOB ZIEGLER Royce Baucom

6-2 5-11 6-4 5-9 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-10 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-4

210 191 222 197 206 180 178 187 180 185 167 247 232 225 294 275 301 282 289 284 296 297 302 281

JR. Sr. Sr. SR. Jr. SO. Fr. SR. Jr. JR. Jr. SO. So. Gr. JR. Sr. JR. Jr. JR. Jr. JR. So. JR. Jr.

ORLANDO DANIELS Jestin Gilmore MONTRELL HENDERSON Isaiah Harvey KY TAYO Myles Mays RYAN BELL CJ Smith KRISTIAN OZANE Landon Feggins ZION RUTLEDGE LaRawn Robinson MARTEZ COOKSEY JR. Mason Bryant KEYSHAWN JACKSON Kaden Edwards KAM BAAH-SLAY AJ Wallace JADEN NELSON Nick Coates DJ ADAMS TJ Fields

6-5 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-1 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-1 5-9 5-8 6-3 5-10 6-3 6-2 5-11 5-9 6-0 5-8

242 229 298 261 284 282 257 243 218 222 225 220 187 184 186 165 198 190 197 185 176 163

SR. Gr. GR. Jr. GR. So. JR. Jr. SR. Jr. SR. Jr. SR. So. JR. Fr. SR. Jr. SO. Gr. SR. Jr.

MOCS DEFENSE DE DT DT DE LB LB NICKEL CB FS SS CB

10 11 91 90 55 94 95 44 2 41 42 17 3 20 7 30 23 4 29 13 27 6

MOCS SPECIAL TEAMS KO

92 80 92 80

JUDE KELLEY Gray Kelley JUDE KELLEY Gray Kelley

6-1 6-0 6-1 6-0

184 197 184 197

GR. Jr. GR. Jr.

16 61

HEATH JEHU Peter Sesterhenn

6-1 5-11

176 186

SR. Sr.

16 61

HEATH JEHU Peter Sesterhenn

6-1 5-11

176 186

SR. Sr.

60 65 22

JJ HEATH Will Davidson Tate O'Bryan

6-3 5-10 6-3

235 202 225

JR. Jr. Gr.

KOR

83 14

BOOBIE LEAVELL Ashton Schumann

5-11 6-2

178 187

FR. Sr.

80 27

JADEN GEORGE DJ Adams

6-0 6-0

180 176

SO. Sr.

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26 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

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WESTERN CAROLINA vs. chattanooga mocs

2026 WESTERN CAROLINA INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS RUSHING

GP 7 7 7 7

Att 92 81 41 11

PASSING

GP 7 3

Effic 132.62 109.20

Josh Perry Lex Thomas Marlin Cochran Anthony Benjamin Lex Thomas Isaac Lee

RECEIVING

GP 7 7 5 7 7 4 7

Gain 477 377 199 61

Loss 22 103 11 0

Cmp-Att-Int 153-241-1 5-11-1

Net 455 274 188 61

Avg 4.9 3.4 4.6 5.5

TD 5 5 2 1

Long Avg/G 62 65.0 39 39.1 34 26.9 14 8.7

Pct 63.5 45.5

Yds 1,693 68

TD 8 1

Lng 49 36

No. 34 22 16 10 18 11 13

Yds 414 328 160 140 120 110 106

Avg 12.2 14.9 10.0 14.0 6.7 10.0 8.2

TD 0 4 0 1 2 1 0

Long 25 49 42 36 23 18 19

PUNT RETURNS

No. 8

Yds 46

Avg 5.8

TD 0

Long 12

KICK RETURNS

No. 7 7

Yds 175 125

Avg 25.00 17.86

TD 0 0

Long 59 32

FC 11

I20 8

AJ Colombo Jai Boyd Michael Rossin Santana Carlos Josh Perry Bode Burns Jake Young AJ Colombo

Richard Hollis Jadarius Dobie

PUNTING

No. 33

Mark Fitzgerald

Yds 1,325

Avg Long 40.15 53

TB 0

TD 0 7 6 4

Bryan McCollum Josh Perry Lex Thomas Jai Boyd

FGs 11-12 0 0 0-0

Kick 26-27 0 0 0-0

Rush 0 0 0 0

Rcv 0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Pass 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

TOTAL OFFENSE

G 7

Plays 322

Rush 274

Pass 1,693

Total 1,967

Avg/G 281.0

ALL PURPOSE

G 7 7 7

Rush 455 7 0

Rec 120 414 328

PR 0 46 0

KOR 0 0 0

IR 0 0 0

Josh Perry AJ Colombo Jai Boyd

Avg/G 59.1 46.9 32.0 20.0 17.1 27.5 15.1

2026 WESTERN CAROLINA DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Tackles Leaders: GP UA–AA = Total Avg. Joshua Collins........................ 7................19–19 = 38..................5.4 Nassor Ashenafi..................... 7............... 22–15 = 37................. 5.3 Jayden Cornelius................... 7................19–14 = 33.................. 4.7 Andre Jackson Jr................... 7................19–14 = 33.................. 4.7 Ryan McKinnis....................... 7................. 9–21 = 30..................4.3 Braylon Jones........................ 7................16–13 = 29...................4.1 Marco Patierno...................... 7.................12–11 = 23..................3.3 Ja’Torian Mack....................... 6................. 7–15 = 22..................3.7 Blue Monroe.......................... 7................. 7–15 = 22...................3.1 Trystan Anderson................... 7..................13–8 = 21................. 3.0 Ken Moore Jr.......................... 5..................8–13 = 21..................4.2 TFL Leaders: Total Yds Nassor Ashenafi.....................................5.0................................ 29 Chase Kerns...........................................5.0................................. 18 Sacks Leaders: Total Yds Trystan Anderson...................................3.0................................ 20 Caleb Turner-Allen.................................3.0...................................7 Three players tied..................................2.0 ........................... Nassor Ashenafi, Joshua Collins, Ken Moore Jr. Interceptions Leaders: Total – Return Yds Jayden Cornelius...........................................................3 – 48 yds Fumbles Forced Leader: Total Nassor Ashenafi.......................................................................2 FF Fumbles Recovered Leader: Total – Return Yds Four players tied............................................................ 1 recovery

RUSHING

GP 7 6 7 3 3

Att 134 78 45 19 14

PASSING

GP 7

Effic 97.30

Kevin Lalin Journey Wyche Battle Alberson TJ Worthy Harrison Bey-Buie Battle Alberson

RECEIVING

GP 7 7 7 7 6

50+ 7

Blkd 0

DXP Saf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Points 59 42 36 24

Tot 575 467 328

Avg/G 82.14 66.71 46.86

Gain 704 456 195 75 44

Loss 14 17 108 3 4

Cmp-Att-Int 51-105-3

Net 690 439 87 72 40

Avg 5.1 5.6 1.9 3.8 2.9

TD 6 2 2 0 1

Long Avg/G 46 98.6 48 73.2 25 12.4 23 24.0 7 13.3

Pct 48.6

Yds 602

TD 2

Lng 72

No. 23 4 7 6 5

Yds 354 87 44 31 30

Avg 15.4 21.8 6.3 5.2 6.0

TD 1 0 0 0 0

Long 72 33 15 12 13

PUNT RETURNS

No. 8

Yds 115

Avg 14.4

TD 1

Long 56

KICK RETURNS

No. 6

Yds 164

Avg 27.3

TD 0

Long 49

PUNTING

No. 26

Yds 1,117

Avg Long 42.96 58

FC 11

I20 6

SCORING

TD 0 6 2 2

FGs 12-14 0-0 0-0 0-0

Kick 14-15 0-0 0-0 0-0

Ashton Schumann Landon Strickland Erik Bussmann Kevin Lalin Journey Wyche Davon Kiser Davon Kiser

|--------------- PATs ---------------|

SCORING

Lex Thomas

Avg/G 241.9 22.7

2026 CHATTANOOGA INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS

Senin Seymour

TB 0

Rush 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Rcv 0 0 0 0

Pass 0 0 0 0

TOTAL OFFENSE

G 7 7

Plays 134 150

Rush 690 87

Pass 0 602

Total 690 689

Avg/G 98.6 98.4

ALL PURPOSE

G 7 6 7 5

Rush 690 439 0 0

Rec 31 30 354 7

PR 0 0 0 115

KOR 0 0 0 164

IR 0 0 0 0

Kevin Lalin Journey Wyche Ashton Schumann Davon Kiser

HEAD–TO–HEAD TEAM COMPARISONS:

Avg/G 50.6 12.4 6.3 4.4 5.0

50+ 5

Blkd 0

DXP Saf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Points 50 36 12 12

Tot 721 469 354 286

Avg/G 103.00 78.17 50.57 57.20

|--------------- PATs ---------------|

Jude Kelley Kevin Lalin Battle Alberson Journey Wyche Kevin Lalin Battle Alberson

Avg/G 86.0

WCU Offense UTC 221...............................Scoring.............................140 31.6...................... Points Per Game....................20.0 157........................... First Downs..........................103 2,930..................Total Yards Gained................. 1,919 418.6.....................Yards Per Game.................... 274.1 1,140..................... Rushing Yardage....................1,317 162.9...........Rushing Average per Game...........188.1 1,790.................... Passing Yardage.....................602 255.7...........Passing Average per Game............86.0 WCU Team Stats UTC 49-479 (68.4).............. Penalties–Yards............. 33-317 (45.3) 49-111, 44.1%............3rd Down Conversion..........35-93, 37.6% 5-13, 38.5%............4th Down Conversion............. 5-7, 71.4% WCU Defense UTC 220........................Points Allowed........................ 88 31.43............. Points Allowed Per Game............12.57 3,141...................Total Yards Allowed................. 1,815 448.7..............Yards Allowed Per Game............259.3 1,270............... Rushing Yards Allowed.................831 181.4.............Rushing Average Allowed.............118.7 1,871.................Passing Yards Allowed................ 984 267.3............ Passing Average Allowed............140.6

2026 CHATTANOOGA DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Tackles Leaders: GP UA–AA = Total Avg. Zion Rutledge........................ 7.............. 29–34 = 63................. 9.0 Kristian Ozane....................... 7...............22–27 = 49..................7.0 Martez Cooksey Jr................. 7.................19–12 = 31..................4.4 Jaden Nelson......................... 7................14–16 = 30..................4.3 Kam Baah-Slay....................... 7................. 19–9 = 28................. 4.0 Keyshawn Jackson................ 7................. 17–8 = 25................. 3.6 LaRawn Robinson.................. 6.................11–12 = 23..................3.8 Orlando Daniels..................... 7................. 17–5 = 22...................3.1 Ryan Bell................................ 7...................6–11 = 17..................2.4 Myles May.............................. 7...................6–11 = 17..................2.4 DJ Adams............................... 7................... 9–6 = 15...................2.1 TFL Leaders: Total Yds Orlando Daniels.....................................7.0................................ 29 Zion Rutledge........................................4.5................................ 20 Ryan Bell................................................4.5................................. 13 Sacks Leaders: Total Yds Orlando Daniels.....................................5.0.................................24 CJ Smith.................................................3.0................................. 21 Interceptions Leaders: Total – Return Yds DJ Adams / Kristian Ozane.....................................................2 ints Fumbles Forced Leader: Total Orlando Daniels........................................................................2 FF Fumbles Recovered Leader: Total Three players tied with................................................... 1 recovery

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 29

w 2026 CATAMOUNT EXTRA POINTS – GAME DAY PROGRAM w

LAST TIME WE MET

WESTERN CAROLINA

WESTERN CAROLINA 35, CHATTANOOGA 28

at CHATTANOOGA

FINLEY STADIUM – CHATTANOOGA, TENN. SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 2025

TEAM STATS:

1ST

2ND

3RD

4TH

FINAL

WESTERN CAROLINA

CHATTANOOGA

ATTENDANCE: 7,711

SCORING SUMMARY: QTR TIME PLAY

DRIVE SUMMARY WCU UTC

1st

12:38 WCU – James Tyre 4 yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout kick)

8 plays, 26 yards, 2:11

2nd

8:38 WCU – James Tyre 7 yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout kick)

9 plays, 45 yards, 3:39

5:25 UTC – Ryan Ingram 1 yd run (Gray Kelley kick)

8 plays, 70 yards, 3:08

2:49 WCU – James Tyre 13 yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout kick)

8 plays, 54 yards, 2:29

3rd

9:21 UTC – Nathaniel Eberly-Rodriguez 4 yd pass from Camden Orth (Gray Kelley kick)

11 plays, 75 yards, 5:39

2:18 UTC – Camden Orth 4 yd run (Gray Kelley kick)

7 plays, 50 yards, 3:14

0:20 WCU – Markel Townsend 2 yd run (Marcus Trout kick)

5 plays, 70 yards, 1:53

4th

9:26 WCU – Michael Rossin 10 yd pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout kick)

8 plays, 66 yards, 2:56

7:40 UTC – Justus Durant 8 yd run (Kelley,Gray kick)

3 plays, 75 yards, 1:46

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. – Taron Dickens tossed four touchdown passes, including three first-half scores to James Tyre, and Cam' Ron Dabney halted a late would-be fourth quarter Chattanooga scoring drive with a second Catamount interception as Western Carolina claimed its sixthstraight seasonal victory by holding off the Mocs 35-28 at Finley Stadium. Dickens threw for 225 yards on 18-of-29 passing with four touchdowns, connecting with Tyre on scoring strikes of four, seven, and 13 yards, and MICHAEL ROSSIN on a 10-yard touchdown reception for the eventual game-winning score. Tailback Markel Townsend added a two-yard scoring plunge in the winning effort. Rossin capped a 66-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drive with his second career touchdown reception to push the Catamounts ahead, 35-21. But, two minutes later, the Mocs marched 75 yards in just three plays to close back to within a score as Justus Durant plowed in from eight yards out with just under eight minutes to play. On the ensuing possession, WCU managed to drain a little over two minutes off the game clock before a failed fourth down conversion gave the football back to Chattanooga with five minutes showing on the Finley Stadium clock. Aided by a 15-yard scramble by quarterback Camden Orth and a pair of pass interference calls, the Mocs marched into the red zone, poised for a potential game-tying or the go-ahead score with a two-point try. After the Catamount defense turned away a pair of rush attempts from the four and five-yard line, respectively, UTC ran a play-action pass. However, WCU's Kenyon Partridge blew the play up with pressure in the backfield, chasing Orth from the pocket to his left. Under duress and scrambling against his natural throwing side, Orth tried to force a pass into the end zone, but Dabney jumped the route for the game-sealing interception. Dabney, who added a pair of solo stops, had one of two interceptions for the Catamounts in the winning effort as KEN MOORE JR. picked off his second pass in as many years against the Mocs on a pass deflection in the first half to accompany six tackles. Safety Samaurie Dukes and linebacker RYAN McKINNIS were seemingly everywhere for the Catamounts, both credited with a team-high 10 tackles, a career-high for the latter, who also added a pair of quarterback sacks. Bo Simpson-Nealy was crucial in run support, finishing with seven tackles, including two for loss, with Moore Jr. and defensive linemen Jamichael Wilson and Justin Wallace credited with six tackles apiece, Wallace posting WCU's third sack. Orth passed for 241 yards on 15-of-27 passing with a touchdown, adding 50 rushing yards and one of three Mocs rushing TDs. Ryan Ingram ran for 60 yards on 15 touches with a score, while Durant finished with 48 yards and a TD. Markell Quick finished with a game-high 126 receiving yards on three catche, while Nathaniel Eberly-Rodriguez caught a four-yard TD pass.

30 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

WCU 22 7 12 3 131 34 3.9 1 168 37 225 18-29-0 12.5 4 356 63 1–0 0 11–107 0 22:40 7 of 12 1 of 3 0–0

FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING Rushing Att. Yds per Rush Rushing TDs Yards Gained Yards Lost PASSING Comp-Att-Int Yds per Pass Passing TDs TOTAL YARDS Plays Fumbles–Lost Interceptions PENALTIES TURNOVERS TIME OF POSS. 3RD DOWN CONV. 4TH DOWN CONV. FGS MADE

UTC 25 6 13 6 158 48 3.3 3 185 27 241 15-27-2 16.1 1 399 75 0–0 2 5–37 2 37:20 9 of 16 2 of 2 0–1

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: PASSING Taron Dickens, WCU Camden Orth, UTC

18-29-0 15-27-2

225 yds, 4 TDs 241 yds, 1 TD

RUSHING Patrick Boyd, WCU Taron Dickens, WCU Ryan Ingram, UTC Camden Orth, UTC

12 carries, 67 yds 10 carries, 38 yds 15 carries, 60 yds, TD 16 carries, 50 yds, TD

RECEIVING James Tyre, WCU Jaylin Terzado, WCU

5 rec., 45 yds, 3 TDs 1 rec., 39 yds

Malik Knight, WCU Markell Quick, UTC Josh Williams, UTC John McIntyre, UTC

2 rec., 37 yds 3 rec., 126 yds 5 rec., 72 yds 2 rec., 18 yds

DEFENSIVE LEADERS:

TACKLES Samaurie Dukes, WCU 10 tckls (6 ua), 1 TFL, PBU Ryan McKinnis, WCU 10 tckls (5 ua), 2 TFL Bo Simpson-Nealy, WCU 7 tckls (5 ua), 2 TFL Zion Rutledge, UTC 9 tckls (6 ua) 1 TFL Kam Baah-Slay, UTC 7 tckls (4 ua) Amanuel Dickson, UTC 5 tckls (4 ua), 1 FF SACKS Ryan McKinnis, WCU 2.0 – 15 yds Zion Rutledge, UTC 1.0 – 23 yds

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2026 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL – SEASON GAME-BY-GAME PREVIEW IN BRIEF GAME 1

at Campbell

BUIES CREEK, NC – Campbell QB Kamden Sixkiller threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns, Spencer Jones had a career-high 126 yards receiving and a score, and Campbell upset No. 24 Western Carolina 28-19 on Sunday in a game postponed after a power/lighting issue at Barker-Lane Stadium. Lex Thomas was 25-of-44 passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns for Western Carolina. Both of Jai Boyd's catches were for touchdowns. WCU was held to 1-yard rushing — the second fewest allowed in Campbell's program history. WCU was also 2 of 13 on third down.

at Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, OHIO – Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV passed for 245 yards and two touchdowns, and four different running backs scored rushing touchdowns to lead Cincinnati to a 62-10 win over Western Carolina at Nippert Stadium. French completed 21 of 24 pass attempts before being pulled late in the third quarter. Cincinnati outgained WCU 690-241 in total yards and rushed for 418 yards as a team. Cincinnati pushed a 28-10 halftime lead to 49-10 in the third quarter. Lex Thomas completed 23 of 32 passes for 165 yards and scored his team’s lone TD on a 1-yard run.

PRESBYTERIAN

CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina scored 31 second half points while suffocating the Presbyterian offense to pull away for a 58-14 victory on Family Weekend Saturday. Presbyterian twice closed the first-half gap to just 10 points, but Bryan McCollum's second of three field goals made it 27-14 at halftime. Josh Perry rushed for a career-high 142 yards and three touchdowns. Jai Boyd caught three passes for 103 yards. WCU's defense held PC to just one second-half first down and only 23 yards of offense, recording 10 TFLs with four sacks.

at ETSU *

JOHNSON CITY, TN – Lex Thomas accounted for 215 yards of offense and rushed for three touchdowns to lead Western Carolina, but ETSU built a commanding first-half advantage and never allowed the Catamounts to gain traction in a 58-31 victory in the latest installment of the 'Blue Ridge Border Battle' and Southern Conference opener for both teams. The Buccaneers scored on their first eight possessions, including six in the first half, to take a 44-7 lead midway through the third quarter. WCU managed just 17 yards of offense in the opening quarter. CULLOWHEE – Josh Perry ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns and Western Carolina pulled a surprise, topping No. 8/9 Tennessee Tech 44-20. The Catamounts built a 17-0 advantage and never trailed. Carter Brown’s 50-yard field goal with five seconds left before halftime reduced Tennessee Tech’s deficit to 20-17 but it was as close as the Golden Eagles could get. Lex Thomas finished 19-of-30 for 236 yards, with a 49-yard score to Jai Boyd early in the second quarter. Gabe Nunez caught 13 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee Tech.

Saturday, Aug. 29 CULLOWHEE W, 45-21

Sunday, Sept. 6 Buies Creek, N.C. L, 28-19

Saturday, Sept. 12 Cincinnati, Ohio L, 62-10

Saturday, Sept. 19 CULLOWHEE W, 58-14

GAME 6

at #18/20 Mercer *

CHATTANOOGA *

Coming off the bye week (Oct. 17) for a second-straight season, the Catamounts host Chattanooga on Homecoming 2026. The last four series meetings – each WCU victories – have been decided by an average of four points and 16 total points. In 2022, WCU scored the game-winning TD in the final minute, 32-29. Richard McCollum nailed a walk-off 32-yard FG to cap an instant classic between two ranked teams in WCU’s 52-50 win in 2023. Ken Moore in 2024 and Cam’Ron Dabney in 2025 intercepted red-zone passes to preserve wins. WCU is 16-6 after the bye under Kerwin Bell.

at Furman *

Western Carolina travels to Greenville, S.C., to face chromatic rival Furman in a Halloween edition of the “Battle for Purple Supremacy” in the Southern Conference. WCU has outscored the Paladins, 104-27 in the last two meetings, scoring 52 points in back-to-back seasons. Cole Gonzales threw for 620 yards as part of 801 yards of total offense in the 52-20 win in 2024. WCU rushed for 302 yards in last year’s 52-7 win in Cullowhee. Though WCU has two-straight wins, Furman has won seven of the last nine series meetings. WCU trails in the series, 15-36-2.

WOFFORD *

November opens with the Wofford Terriers making the short trip up the mountain to face WCU on Heroes and EBCI Day in Cullowhee. The Catamounts have won five-straight in the head-to-head series with Wofford, though the last four meetings have been decided in one-possession games and a combined 16 total points. It’s WCU’s longest series win streak between the two since Wofford joined the SoCon in 1997. WCU trails in the all-time series, 19-28, with the series standing 12-12 in Cullowhee. WCU downed Wofford, 21-17, without fans post Hurricane Helene in 2024.

at Samford *

Western Carolina wraps up the road portion of its regular season with a trip to Birmingham to face Samford in midNovember. The Catamounts are riding their longest series win streak over the Bulldogs with three-straight victories, including an exciting 47-42 road win in 2024 in Birmingham, just the second for WCU and its first since 1969 that halted a 10 game road losing skid against the ‘Dogs. Western Carolina has averaged 42.3 points on 538.7 offensive yards per game during its three-game series winning streak, amassing 733 yards (582 pass, 151 rush) last year.

THE CITADEL *

The Catamounts close the regular-season on Hall of Fame and Senior Day in Cullowhee in the 51st series meeting and 26th overall in Cullowhee. WCU has won five of the last six head-to-head meetings, including three-straight victories – it’s longest series win streak since 2001-03. During its three-game win streak, Western Carolina has averaged 493.3 total yards of offense, including 323.7 yards passing, while The Citadel has averaged 225 rushing yards per game against the Catamounts. Desmond Reid rushed for 5 TDs in 2023 and Jalynn Williams ran for three in 2024.

Saturday, Oct. 3 CULLOWHEE W, 44-20

Saturday, Oct. 10 Macon, Ga. L, 17-14

Saturday, Oct. 24 CULLOWHEE 2:30 pm

Saturday, Nov. 7 CULLOWHEE 1 pm

Saturday, Nov. 14 Birmingham, Ala. 3:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm CT

GAME 12

GAME 10

Saturday, Oct. 31 Greenville, S.C. 2 pm

GAME 11

GAME 9

#8/9 TENNESSEE TECH*

GAME 7

Saturday, Sept. 26 Johnson City, Tenn. L, 58-31

GAME 8

GAME 5

GAME 4

GAME 3

GAME 2

CULLOWHEE – Lex Thomas threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Josh Perry, and added a fourth-quarter rushing score as Western Carolina rallied for a 45-21 season-opening victory over Eastern Kentucky at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. WCU overcame a 14-10 halftime deficit, outscoring the Colonels 35-7 in the second half to earn its first season opening win since 2022. A crowd of 13,482, the 10th largest in Whitmire Stadium history, was on hand to witness the debut of the stadium's latest facility enhancements.

EASTERN KENTUCKY

32 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

Saturday, Nov. 21 CULLOWHEE 1 pm

MACON, GA – JP Pickles threw two touchdown passes and led Mercer on a last-minute drive that resulted in Simon Zeidan’s game-winning field goal in the Bears’ 17-14 victory. Tied at 7 in the fourth quarter, RB Zahmari Palode-Gary took a short pass over the middle from Pickles and was untouched as he took it the last 55 yards for a go-ahead score. The Catamounts tied it at 14 late in the fourth when WR Jai Boyd hit QB Lex Thomas for a 5-yard TD on a trick play. Pickles led the Bears on a 46-yard drive to Zeidan’s winning 42-yard kick on the final play.

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36 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

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head coach >>>>>>>>>>>>

KERWIN BELL >>> sixth season <<<

PERSONAL INFORMATION: BORN: HOMETOWN: ALMA MATER: FAMILY:

June 15, 1965 Mayo, Fla. Florida, 1987 Wife, Cosette Odom; Three children; Kade, Kolton, and Kenzley; and grand children, Palmer and Beckett

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, former walk-on, three-year starter at QB (1984-88); SEC Player of the Year (1984); First-Team All-SEC (1985) and Honorable mention AllAmerica (1985, 1986) u

Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame, 1996 inductee

Univ. of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, 1997 inductee

MIAMI DOLPHINS (NFL), 7th-round draft pick (180), 1988 ATLANTA FALCONS (NFL), 1988 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (NFL), 1989 ORLANDO THUNDER (WLAF), 1991-92

Few coaches embody perseverance and success quite like Western Carolina head football coach Kerwin Bell. A former walk-on quarterback who rose to become an All-American, professional football veteran, national championship-winning coach, and one of the game's most innovative offensive minds, Bell was named Western Carolina University's 14th head football coach on April 27, 2021. Now entering his sixth season leading the Catamounts in 2026, Bell has transformed Western Carolina into one of the most exciting programs in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. His career coaching ledger includes 124 victories across three collegiate head coaching stops and surpassed the coveted 100-win milestone during the 2022 season with a victory over VMI in Cullowhee. Under Bell's leadership, Western Carolina is enjoying the most successful four-year stretch in program history. The Catamounts have posted four consecutive winning seasons and have won 27 games since 2022, surpassing the previous program benchmark of 24 victories from 1976-79. WCU also recorded back-to-back six-win Southern Conference campaigns, finishing as the conference runnerup in consecutive seasons.

Chattanooga, and rival ETSU helped deliver Western Carolina's best finish since 2017 while ending an eight-game skid against nationally ranked FCS opponents. The Catamounts also secured consecutive .500-or-better Southern Conference records for the first time since the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

SACRAMENTO GOLD MINERS (CFL), 1993-94 EDMONTON ESKIMOS (CFL), 1995 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (NFL), 1996-97 TORONTO ARGONAUTS (CFL), 1998 u

CFL East All-Star (1998)

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (CFL), 1999-2000 TORONTO ARGONAUTS (CFL), 2000-01

COACHING EXPERIENCE:

OFFENSIVE EXCELLENCE BECOMES A TRADEMARK

UNIV. OF FLORIDA, graduate assistant (1990)

Since Bell's arrival, Western Carolina's offense has become one of the nation's most feared units.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS, offensive coordinator (2000-01)

During the Bell era, the Catamounts have led the FCS by averaging more than 485 yards of offense per game. Western Carolina has eclipsed 5,000 yards of total offense in each of the last five seasons and has repeatedly rewritten the program record book. The 2025 Catamounts produced a school-record 5,920 yards of total offense, surpassing the previous marks established by the 2023 and 2024 teams. Western Carolina's aerial attack has been equally prolific. In 2025, the Catamounts topped 3,000 passing yards for just the sixth time in school history while setting a single-season

TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH, head coach (2002-06) JACKSONVILLE UNIV., head coach (2007-15) u

Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year (2008)

VALDOSTA STATE UNIV., head coach (2016-18) u

Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year (2018)

Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year (2018)

NCAA Division II National Champion (2018)

UNIV. OF SOUTH FLORIDA, offensive coordinator (2019) WESTERN CAROLINA UNIV., head coach (2021–)

BUILDING A WINNER IN CULLOWHEE Bell inherited a program searching for momentum in 2021 and quickly began laying the foundation for sustained success. After opening his first season with six consecutive losses, the Catamounts responded by winning four of their final five games. Picked ninth in the preseason Southern Conference poll, Western Carolina finished tied for fourth after dramatic victories over Furman and defending conference champion VMI. The momentum carried forward into 2022. Bell guided the Catamounts to a 6-5 regular-season record, highlighted by three consecutive victories to close the campaign. Wins over Wofford, nationally ranked Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 37

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school record with 4,268 passing yards. The total ranked first in the FCS and marked the program's second consecutive 4,000-yard passing season. Led by Walter Payton Award runner-up Taron Dickens, WCU threw a program-record 48 touchdown passes and secured a fifth straight season with at least 24 passing scores. The Catamounts led the nation in total offense in 2023, becoming the only FCS program to average more than 500 yards per game. Western Carolina later finished as the nation's statistical leader in passing offense in both 2024 and 2025.

A CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE Bell arrived in Cullowhee with an impressive coaching résumé already in place.

Picked fifth in the conference preseason rankings and entering the playoffs as a No. 3 seed, Valdosta State finished 14-0 and claimed the first undefeated season in school history. The championship campaign ended with a thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State in the national title game. For his efforts, Bell earned Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year honors and Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year recognition. His offense was nearly unstoppable. Valdosta State led Division II in scoring at 52.0 points per game, set an NCAA Division II record with 728 points, and accumulated 7,334 total yards while averaging 7.9 yards per play. Quarterback Rogan Wells emerged as one of the nation's most dynamic players in Bell's system, finishing as the Harlon Hill Trophy runner-up after accounting for 50 touchdowns and leading the nation in total points responsible for.

while leading the nation in both total offense and scoring offense. Another conference championship followed in 2014.

FROM FLORIDA WALK-ON TO FOOTBALL LEGEND Long before he was designing explosive offenses and leading championship teams, Bell was making his own unlikely rise as a player. The Mayo, Florida, native walked on at the University of Florida and developed into one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Gator history. Between 1983 and 1987, Bell completed more than 57 percent of his passes for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. He was named SEC Player of the Year in 1984 after leading Florida to a 9-1-1 record and a conference championship. Bell earned first-team All-SEC honors and All-America recognition in 1985 while helping the Gators achieve the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. He added another honorable mention All-America selection in 1986 and served as a team captain in 1987.

Before taking over the Catamounts, he served as offensive coordinator at South Florida under Charlie Strong in 2019. Before that, he authored one of the most memorable championship runs in NCAA Division II history at Valdosta State.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS AT JACKSONVILLE Before his championship run at Valdosta State, Bell built Jacksonville University into one of the premier programs in the Pioneer Football League.

In recognition of his impact on the program, The Gainesville Sun ranked Bell among the 100 greatest players in Florida football history.

In three seasons leading the Blazers, Bell compiled a 27-7 record, reached the NCAA Division II playoffs twice, won a Gulf South Conference championship, and captured the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Over nine seasons, he guided the Dolphins to a 66-35 record and three conference championships.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL CAREER

The 2018 season was historic.

Bell earned PFL Coach of the Year honors in 2008 after leading Jacksonville to a conference title and a 9-4 record. In 2010, the Dolphins posted a school-record 10-1 season

Selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft, Bell enjoyed a 13-year professional playing career. His journey included time with the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Indianapolis Colts, as well as extensive success in the Canadian Football League and the World League of American Football. During nine CFL seasons, he passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns. Following his playing career, Bell transitioned naturally into coaching, beginning as offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts while still an active player and later serving as a graduate assistant under Steve Spurrier at Florida.

FAMILY Kerwin and his wife, Cosette, were married in 1986 while both attended the University of Florida. They have three children, sons Kade and Kolton and daughter Kenzley, along with grand children Palmer and Beckett. Today, Bell's journey continues in Cullowhee, where the same determination that carried him from walk-on quarterback to championship coach fuels Western Carolina's pursuit of Southern Conference and national success.

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FOLLOW CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL ALL SEASON LONG

(select schedule in 2025)

The Pepsi Tailgate Show begins an hour prior to kickoff on the Catamount Sports Network – the Voice of Catamount Athletics!

EXPERIENCE MORE

P R O U D S U P P O RT E R O F W C U AT H L E T I C S CHAMPIONCU.COM

DANIEL HOOKER

JEFF BRYSON

GARY AYERS 2023 WCU ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2026 FOOTBALL COACHES & STAFF

KERWIN BELL

KERRY WEBB

RYLAN WELLS

NICK REVEIZ

MALIK CHEVRY

KYLE DICKEY

HEAD COACH

SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

CORNERBACKS

TIGHT ENDS / PASS GAME COORDINATOR

COREY HEADLEY

JEREMY KING

PARISH METZGER

TY PHILLIPS

ROSS PRYOR

WIDE RECEIVERS

OFFENSIVE LINE

QUARTERBACKS

BANDITS

LINEBACKERS

MALIK GOODMAN SAFETIES

EVAN DVORCHIK

RUDI SMALL

MIKE WELCH

RUNNING BACKS / RECURITING COORDINATOR

DEFENSIVE LINE / RUN-GAME COORDINATOR

DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL /

AUSTIN SHEALY

BAILEY JOHNSON

TODD SHEALY

BRADEN ERWIN

MADELYN LEE

QUALITY CONTROL – ASSISTANT LB

VIDEO COORDINATOR

GENERAL MANAGER

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING

CALE MATTHEWS QUALITY CONTROL – ASSISTANT WR

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NICK BACK

JEREMIAH JUDD

JOSEPH KIESER

QUALITY CONTROL – ASSISTANT OL

QUALITY CONTROL – ASSISTANT WR / TE

QUALITY CONTROL – ASSISTANT CB

ASSISTANT SPECIAL TEAMS

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2026 FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF

Andrew Bates

Director of Sports Performance

Auston Belcher

Student Assistant Coach

Steven Honbarger

Director of Sports Medicine

Cody Jones

Assistant Sports Performance Coach

James Mayer

Student Assistant Coach

Cody Yale

Associate Head Athletic Trainer

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Jordan Madrid

Assistant Sports Performance Coach

Lane Stroup

Assistant Video Coordinator

Julia Daniel

Assistant Athletic Trainer

John Williams

Assistant Sports Performance Coach

Nate Wallace

Assistant Video Coordinator

Noah Johnson

Assistant Athletic Trainer

Jenny Ille

Assistant Sports Performance Coach

Merkenzee Wells

Football Recruiting Intern

Libby Lacca

Assistant Athletic Trainer

Western Carolina Athletics Equipment Staff

Tucker Lauterette, Tyler Beighey, Charlie Hardy, Mike Taylor (head equipment manager), Katherine Smith, Garrett Bell, and Andrue Smith (assistant equipment manager)

Mike Taylor

Head Athletic Equipment Manager

Brooke Vaillancourt Assistant Athletic Trainer

Andrue Smith

Assistant Athletic Equipment Manager

Elissa Weeks

Assistant Athletic Trainer

Samantha Wolchesky Assistant Athletic Trainer

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Friends. Family. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm® has a long tradition of being there. That's one reason why I'm proud to support Western Carolina University.

Get to a better State®.

Charles Wolfe, Agent 180 Webster Road Sylva, NC 28779 Bus: 828-586-4026 charles.w.wolfe.bwll@statefarm.com

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KYLE PIFER

WESTERN CAROLINA DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Beyond athletics, Pifer has been an active contributor across campus through service on numerous university committees, including institutional planning, well-being, health and safety, and emergency crisis management. His collaborative leadership style and commitment to student-athlete welfare have earned respect from coaches, staff, faculty, and campus leadership alike.

A CAREER BUILT IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS Pifer brings more than two decades of experience in higher education and intercollegiate athletics administration to the role. His career began in 2003 as an NCAA compliance officer at Gonzaga University, where he developed a strong foundation in governance, student-athlete support, and NCAA regulations.

When Western Carolina University began its search for a new director of athletics, the ideal candidate turned out to be someone who already knew Catamount Nation inside and out. On May 19, 2025, Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced the appointment of Kyle Pifer as Western Carolina's director of athletics following approval by the university's Board of Trustees. The selection culminated a national search and elevated a respected leader whose experience, vision, and deep commitment to Western Carolina had already made a significant impact on the athletics department. Pifer, who had served as deputy athletics director and chief operating officer since arriving in Cullowhee in November 2020, assumed the permanent role after serving as interim director of athletics. For many across campus and throughout the Southern Conference, the decision felt like a natural fit. Over four years at Western Carolina, Pifer established himself as a trusted administrator and strategic leader, overseeing nearly every aspect of the department's internal operations. His responsibilities included budget and finance, capital projects, event and facility management, sport administration, and human resources, helping to position the Catamounts for sustained success during a period of significant growth and change in collegiate athletics. "Kyle Pifer is an outstanding choice to lead Catamount Nation into its next era," said Brown. Brown added that Pifer quickly distinguished himself as a collaborative and strategic university leader with a strong understanding of the rapidly evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics.

BUILDING MOMENTUM IN CULLOWHEE Since arriving at Western Carolina, Pifer has helped strengthen the department's operational foundation while keeping student-athlete success at the forefront.

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Among his many contributions has been the creation of both the Sport Administrator Committee and the Student-Athlete Well-Being Committee, initiatives designed to enhance communication, improve departmental efficiency, and continually assess the overall studentathlete experience. In 2025-26, the Catamounts compiled eight Top 3 finishes in the Southern Conference, including football, women’s soccer, baseball, softball, men’s indoor and outdoor track & field, and women’s track & field, which won the 2026 SoCon Outdoor Championship. Catamount football once again led the Southern Conference in terms of home crowd size last fall, with an average attendance of 10,987 in the cozy confines of E.J. Whitmire Stadium. That put WCU 20th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for average attendance out of 129 programs across the country. Over his first year in the role, Pifer oversaw a banner year for revenue generation and fundraising for the athletics program. The department also saw best-ever revenue growth in sponsorships, parking sales and game day concessions, totaling nearly $1.7 million in external revenue. He also ushered in a new era with on-field and uniform sponsorship patches.

In 2007, he joined Oregon State University as an assistant director of compliance before moving to the University of Washington in 2009. During his time in Seattle, Pifer rapidly ascended through the athletics administration ranks, earning four promotions in fewer than five years and eventually serving as an associate athletics director and member of the Huskies' senior leadership team. He returned to Oregon State in 2013 as senior associate athletics director for compliance, a position he held until joining Western Carolina in 2020. Throughout his tenure at Oregon State, Pifer served as a member of the athletics executive staff and supervised several sport programs, including men's golf and women's cross country and track and field. He also played a key role in the successful revival and growth of Oregon State's track and field program after the sport's nearly two-decade absence. His leadership extended well beyond athletics administration. Pifer participated on numerous university committees, including the Enrollment Management Leadership Team, the High Incident and Event Group, and the Criminal History Attendance and Participation Committee. The breadth of that experience, combined with firsthand knowledge of major conference athletics and his understanding of the Southern Conference landscape, made him uniquely prepared to guide Western Carolina through a transformative era in college sports.

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STUDENT-ATHLETE AT HEART Long before becoming an athletics administrator, Pifer experienced college athletics firsthand. A native of Frankfort, Indiana, he was a four-year track and field letter winner at Francis Marion University and earned Academic All-District honors during his collegiate career. His success extended into the classroom, where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1999 while earning membership in the Francis Marion Honor Society. He later completed a master's degree in sport and athletic administration from Gonzaga University. The perspective gained as both a student-athlete and administrator has helped shape Pifer's leadership philosophy, one centered on providing opportunities for student-athletes to excel academically, athletically, and personally.

LEADING THE NEXT CHAPTER As director of athletics, Pifer assumes leadership of a department that has experienced significant competitive success and growing momentum across multiple programs. His combination of administrative expertise, strategic vision, and commitment to student-athlete development positions him to lead Western Carolina Athletics into a new era of opportunity. For Catamount Nation, the future is being entrusted to a leader who understands both the challenges and possibilities that lie ahead and one who has already spent years helping build the foundation for continued success.

PIFER FAMILY Kyle and his wife, Sydney, are the proud parents of three daughters: Reese, Delaney, and Ellis, two of whom are avid soccer players.

Our mountain getaway is located off Highway 64, one minute from Sapphire Valley Ski Resort PROUD SPONSOR OF THE WCU CATAMOUNTS 828.743.4545 3245 US-64 | Sapphire, NC 28774

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – CATAMOUNT ATHLETICS SENIOR STAFF

KYLE PIFER

TODD LAWING

ASHLEIGH SIMMONS

CHAD GERRETY

BRITTANY KICKLIGHTER

ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

DEPUTY ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

ASSOC. AD FOR STUDENT SUCCESS / SWA

ASSOC. AD FOR EXTERNAL OPERATIONS

ASSOCIATE AD FOR DEVELOPMENT

DANIEL K. HOOKER

TRAVIS CHANDLER

AMANDA MURCHIE

KIMBERLY CHERRY-BECK

DR. ALEXANDER MACAULAY

ASSOCIATE AD FOR MEDIA RELATIONS

ASSISTANT AD FOR COMPLIANCE

ASSISTANT AD FOR BUSINESS OPERATIONS

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE AD

WCU FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT STAFF

Greg Hartlage

Josh Ragsdale

David Barbee

Kendra Pope

Michaela Watkins

Michael Gilbert

Ashley McGee-DeSoto

Caitlyn Etheridge

Director of Media Relations

Marketing and Promotions Assistant Director

Game Operations & Facilities Assistant

Director of Media Relations

Director of Corporate Sponsorship

Assistant Director of Compliance

52 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

Media Relations Assistant Director

Roman Uglehus Director of Video Operations

Ben Frederick

Rob Burlington Assistant Director of Video Operations

Angela Perez

Sophia Johnston Director of Creative Media

Mark Conlin

Director of Athletics Ticket Operations

Assistant Director of Ticket Operations and Marketing

Ticket and Marketing Assistant

Director of Athletics Facilities & Grounds

Kim Jamison

Christian Armstrong

Haley Mitchell

Adrian Ell-Stroop

Athletic Department Administrative Assistant

Director of Student-Athlete Development / WHEE CLIMB

Senior Athletics Academic Advisor

Athletics Academic Advisor

Tyler Pope

Assistant AD of Marketing and Promotions

Trey Fisher

Director of Game Operations & Facilities

TBA

Athletics Academic Advisor

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – COACHING STAFF

Alan Beck Head Coach Baseball

Jackson Simmons Assistant Coach Men’s Basketball

Kayla McPherson Assistant Coach Women’s Basketball

Jeff Korte

Dusty White

Seth Graves

AJ Stroop

Brandon Egemo

Jimmy Mitchell

Josh Gordon

Corbin Huntley

Assistant Coach Baseball

Assistant Coach Men’s Basketball

Women's Basketball Graduate Assistant

Assistant Coach Baseball

Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant

Head Coach Cheerleading

Assistant Coach Baseball

Owen Crevelt

Jack Thomas

Director of Player Director of Pitching Development – Baseball Development – Baseball

Claire Kaifes

Head Coach Women’s Basketball

Assistant Coach Women’s Basketball

Cole Mars

Tim Eckberg

Anne Marie Covar Head Coach Women’s Golf

Chad Miller

Head Coach Women’s Soccer

Associate Head Coach Women’s Soccer

Volunteer Assistant Coach Women’s Soccer

Angela Perez

Kelley Graham

Jesse Norman

Assistant Coach Cheerleading

Head Coach Men’s Golf

Associate Head Coach Softball

Assistant Coach Softball

Kylie Cook

Lauren Sablone

Bret Beaver

Daniel Haakenson

Gillian Urycki

Jaslyne Robinson

Karen Glover

Katie Butler

Madison Konopka

54 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

Assistant Coach Men’s Basketball

Jonathan Tsipis

Madison Armstrong

Assistant Coach Track & Field

Darius Barksdale

Adam Bullard

Will Ring

Jim Clift

Assistant Coach Track & Field

Sydney Lowery

Assistant Coach Men’s Basketball

Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant

Head Coach Softball

Assistant Coach Track & Field

Andrew Brown

Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant

Graduate Assistant Women’s Soccer

Whitney Tracy

Tim Craft

Head Coach Men’s Basketball

Head Coach Volleyball

Softball Graduate Assistant

Assistant Coach Volleyball

Head Coach Women's Tennis

Assistant Coach Volleyball

Assistant Coach Women's Tennis

Assistant Coach Women’s Basketball

Andrew Green

Assistant Coach Women's Tennis

Assistant Coach Women’s Basketball

Michael Mazarky

Head Coach XC / Track & Field

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CATAMOUNT CLUB DONORS OF THE GAME

Terry ('77) and Vikki Fortner ('79) Terry and Vikki Fortner are proud Western Carolina alumni who have dedicated an extraordinary amount of time, talent, and treasure to Catamount Nation. A 1977 graduate of WCU, Terry Fortner is the Chief Advisor at Fortner Advisory and Development, LLC, a selective consulting and advisory firm. Before establishing his company, Fortner enjoyed a distinguished career in the automotive insurance and sales industry. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) in 2024 after previously holding the role of Vice President of Insurance, Sales and Marketing at LKQ Corporation. Prior to joining LKQ, Fortner spent 32 years with Nationwide Insurance, where he rose to Vice President of Material Damage Claims. A respected leader within his industry, he has been actively involved in numerous professional organizations and serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Collision Repair Education Foundation. His commitment to Western Carolina has been equally impactful. Fortner is a former member of the WCU Board of Visitors, Catamount Club Board of Directors, and Alumni Association Board, and currently serves on the Western Carolina University Foundation Board of Directors. Vikki Richards Fortner, a 1979 WCU graduate, is a retired business owner who previously operated By Vikki Accessories and Natural Path Wellness Center in Atlanta. A native of the Qualla Boundary, she earned her degree in home economics from Western Carolina and was an active member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority during her time on campus. Since making their first gift to Western Carolina in 1979, the Fortners have contributed nearly half a million dollars to the university, with much of their support benefiting Catamount Athletics. Their generosity includes a leadership gift to the Fill the Western Sky campaign, which led to the naming of the Terry & Vikki Fortner Victory Center, the offensive conference room inside the football program's facilities.

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – CATAMOUNT CLUB / DEVELOPMENT STAFF

Brittany Kicklighter

Associate AD for Development / Interim Catamount Club Director

Gabby Franklin

Associate Director of Development / Catamount Club

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Raymond Dillard

Assistant Director of Development / Catamount Club

Payton Allen

Assistant Director of Development / Events & Stewardship

Cam Murray

Assistant Director of Development / Catamount Club

Keith Haskett

Athletics Development Coordinator

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2026 HOME CATAMOUNT VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

2026 HOME CATAMOUNT SOCCER SCHEDULE AUG 5

GEORGIA STATE 7:00 PM

AUG 8 WRIGHT STATE 2:00 PM

AUG 13

WINTHROP 6:00 PM

AUG 16

UNCW

1:00 PM

AUG 30 EAST CAROLINA 1:00 PM

SEPT 3 NC STATE 7:00 PM

SEPT 20 SAMFORD 1:00 PM

OCT 1 ETSU

7:00 PM

OCT 11 THE CITADEL

HOME MATCHES: CATAMOUNT ATHLETIC COMPLEX – ADMISSION FREE FOR FULL SCHEDULE VISIT CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM

Senior Day 2:00 PM

OCT 23 MERCER 7:00 PM

OCT 29 TENNESSEE TECH 6:00 PM

AUG 21

ANDERSON 6:00 PM EXHIBITION

SEPT 8 GARDNER-WEBB 6:00 PM

SEPT 17

USC UPSTATE 6:00 PM

OCT 1 & 2

OCT 9 & 10

OCT 22 & 23

6:00 PM

6:00 PM & 4:00 PM

6:00 PM

SAMFORD

FURMAN

MERCER

OCT 27 WOFFORD 6:00 PM

NOV 13 & 14

ETSU

6:00 PM & 2:00 PM

HOME MATCHES: INGLES COURT AT THE RAMSEY CENTER – ADMISSION FREE FOR FULL SCHEDULE VISIT CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 57

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2026-27 CATAMOUNT CLUB MEMBERSHIP LIST – ROYAL BANNER – Jackie and Audrey Adkins Larry and Mary Arbaugh Marco and Holly Arias Doug Bailey and Katie O'Meara William and Beverly Barr Brad and Eileen Bradshaw Patrick Bradshaw David and Marie Brinkley Dennis and Kelli R. Brown Steve Couch Clay and Alisa Cox Mike and Gina Crawford Cullowhee Collective, LLC Brian Davis and Amy Kilby Scott and Amy Dill David and Jennifer Dills Dennis and Susan Fox Tad and Susan Grattan DLP Harris Regional Hospital Tom Holderby Kenneth and Jane Hughes Roland and Cathy Johnson Paul and Nora Jones John Martin Jeff and Mary Meredith Kenny Messer and Mel Clark Kirk and Carrie Roach Jake and Olivia Robinson Jay and Pamela Sekulow Dale and Debbie Sims Brandon and Kelley Sink Steve and Becky South Kevin and Lynn Stanberry Jace and Stephanie Stowe Mike and Marsha Sullivan Robbie and Miriam Vannoy Peter and Marty Vexter Mike and Regina Wade Randy White and Kim Hunter David and Joy Wiggins Donna Winbon Teeny Wood

– TROPHY –

Todd and Melanie Blosser Henry and Pamela Hardy Bill and Lisa Jarrett Gibbs and Kathleen Jones Jerry and Kay Kiser Jim and Nancy Laughridge Van Stayton David White Jonathan and Brittany Zapp

– CHAMPIONS –

Drew Barefoot Philip Byers Jim and June Causby Tim and Jessica Craft John and Melanie Davis Don and Tammy Fertenbaugh Terry and Vikki Fortner Todd and Julie Harkins Matt and Bethany Magnus Ken and Donna Martin Paxton Myers and Dana Boyer Andy and Louann Smith Jim and Jane Wood

– I-CATS –

Andrew Abernathy Hoyt and Katherine Almond Tom and Lisa Apodaca Todd and Stephanie Baucom Bret Beaver

Andrew and Christine Birkmire Dan Brooks Frank and Becky Brown Tobe and Barbara Childers Scott and Kelly Christian Bob and Lauren Clark James and Eileen Clift Carl and Karen Coe Ben and Paige Comm Russell McConnell and Stefanie Conley John and Lori Connet Cameron and Brandi Cooper Alexander Crenshaw and T'fani Hixon Nora Lynn Finch Leslie Greer Rod and Pam Harrelson Dave Harris Keith and Shannon Haskett Scott Hinrichs Steve and Gin Hodge Dale and Dianne Hollifield John and Kristine Iacofano Ben and Ashleigh Jacobs Steve and Martha Jeffords Jake and Maria Jones Brett Lamb Gary and Kathy Lance Ben and Jenna Pendry Charlie Phillips and Carol Gettig Clay and Vicky Poindexter Ron and Pamela Sink Marjorie and Lenny Smathers Larry and Heulwen Stanberry Scott and Robbie Stanberry Watt and Billie Staples Judy Stroud Ken and Jane Teasley Randy and Susan Thomas Wayne and Kim Tolleson John and Martha Truitt Eddie and Savannah Wells Steve and Elaine White Chuck and Kathy Wooten Jason and Shannon Young

– CAPTAINS –

Betty Allen Apex Systems LLC Mike and Sandee Biggerstaff Jared Burton Michael Chapin Derron Cloud Joe and Carol Crocker Scott and Kimberly Davis Jim and Susan Davis Mark and Tara Davis Mike and Diane Dillard Thomas and Lori Doozan Lakeen Duncan Jonathan and Kim Esser First Citizens Bank-Raleigh Tony and Rebekah Garagiola Tim and Betsy Gillespie Jeff and Rosa Goss The Great Smoky Mountains Railway Inc. B. J. and Annie Green Franklin and Tiffany Guerrero Marshall Gunter Justin and Amber Haber Jacob and Colleen Hannah Jimmy and Karen Hardy Bobby Haskett Jon and Nishelle Henson David and Lisa Hill James and Kelly Hogan Billy and Lisa Laube Stephen Laws Jason and Kristina Lorenz

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Matt and Tracey Monday Rick and Michele Rogers Bill and Elaine Ross Barrett and Jane Scott Todd and Beth Shealy Steven and Jill Sizemore Darryl and June Smith Steve and Jima Sparks Larry Supik Anthony and Lynn Swearengin Linney and Kim Teague Mark Tedder Bob and Suzanne Thomas Dave and Bonnie Thompson Bob and Janice Thompson Jeff and Miriam Tomberlin Mitch and Ann Treadaway Jim and Teresa Watson Danny Williamson Dewight Winchester Ed Young Rob and Leigh Anne Young

– COACHES –

Ken and Ina Allen Patrick and Heidi Anderson Neal and Jo Andrews Mark and Kelly Benge Mike and Renee Bowen Dave Bristol Thomas and Bonnie Broadwater Patricia Bryson-Wink Howard and Roz Buchanan Eddie and Andra Burks Burlingame Ladies Golf Association Bobby Byrd Mike Carroll Jimmy and Kathy Cherry Dennis and Sallie Conley James Conner and Cheryl Contino-Conner Howe Crockett William and Crystal Cunningham Mark and Laura Decker Trevor Dunlap Steve Ebert Bob and Sonia Elledge Paul and Vicky Faris Tim Faulkner Sam and Janice Freeman Dick Freeman Jarrett and Jaime Friday Robert Gee and Joy Postell-Gee Robert Gibson and Sharon Edwards

Joshua and Tab Gillett Lenny Gonzalez Jeff and Brenda Gorsuch Brent and Allyson Grass Jeff Hager Bill and Michelle Hamby Andrew Harlfinger Benjamin Hartbarger Tim and Donna Haskett Steve and Lori Heatherly David and Debbie Huntsberger Jerry and Emily Ireland J.R. and Amber Jones Alan and Debbie Jordan Mike and Ruth Joyner Patrick and Natalie Kesler Jack and Kerstin Kimel Julie Kimmel Brook King Bryant and Brenda Kinney Kristy and Joanne Kiser Dick Lankford Philip and Kathy Leftwich George and Sandra Leopard Thomas Mahon John and Sue Martin Timothy and Courtney Mayse Warren and Lindsay Meeker John and Page Mikol Mitch Miller Brett Miller Bruce and Denise Moore Greg and Ann Parsons Josh Patton Michael Paysour Ryan and Scarlette Pless Chris and Jen Pressley Bob and Carol Roberts Richard Scott Gaston and Libby Seal Randy Shaw Mike and Kathie Shelton Ron and Caroline Smith Steve and Debbie Spradling David and Donna Stephens Anna Stocum Jay and Susan Strum Bill and Margaret Studenc Trey White Steve Williams Onifer and Meagan Wilmoth Charles and Wanda Wolfe Kevin and Melinda Wonsick

– TOP CAT –

David Beam and Kathy Abbott-Beam Andy Anderson and Lori Anderson Jim and Toy Beaty Jim and Libby Beddingfield Kerwin and Cosette Bell Earl and JoAnn Black Jeff and Amy Blanton Wayne and Betsy Bowers Michael and Paula Bruder Chris and Amy Budd Mike and Laura Byers Fred and Katrina Cantler Kyle and Sarah Carter Todd and Robin Cates Cory Causby Lynne Chiger David and Mae Claxton Marlon and Lorri Connor Kenneth Davis Michael Delvecchio Bill and Loretta Dodgen Robert and Michelle Doherty Keith and Beth Ebersole Tony Elders Rick and Jennifer Elliott Chris and Cathy Faw Buck Freeman Rick and Jana Fulton Chad and Kristin Gerrety Joe and Julie Godfrey Jack and Lynn Guffey Connie Haire Bryan and Lynley Hardie Gerald Harp and Melva Love-Harp Steven and Nicole Harris Mark and Tammy Haskett Ken and Joanne Henry Thomas and Debbie Herman Brenda and Randall Holcombe Leroy and Ginny Holden Terry and Kerry Holton Daniel K. Hooker Vickie Horne Charles and Taiwaina Hughes Kim Jamison Chris and Jennifer Kallao Mark Lane Ronald Leatherwood and Laura Leatherwood Cecil and Donna Lee James and Jill Locke

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2026-27 CATAMOUNT CLUB MEMBERSHIP LIST Tim and Ann McBride Mike and Mary McDaniel Tyler and Liz McHone Greg McLamb Lynn McNeil Ron and Mary Miller Kevin and Miken Miller Matt and Melissa Mitchell Carroll and Laura Lee Moore John Moore Jane Morgan Turner and Susan Morrison John Mosbey David and Becky Myers Barak and Jessica Myers Michael and Pam Neal David and Angie Noland Jesse and Melanie Norman Doug Painter and Mary Barker Fran Paschall Jim Patterson Richard and Mary Kathryn Pegg Mike and Dianne Phillips Teddy and Christy Phillips Sarah Pogue Matthew Price Rich and Susan Price Tyler Raines Mark and Anne Reeser Carl and Susan Robinson Tommy and Harriet Rockett Laura Ross David and Casey Runner Bryan Sammons and Madison Bates Gary and Audrey Sanders Jeff and Libby Sanders Chris and Kirstin Schlenker Ali Schreiber Marvin and Patty Schubert Scott and Misty Shaffer Tony and Alicia Shue Tom Siegner Herman Smith Lowell and Jeanie Snider Lance and Shervawn Sockwell Alan Stayton Dave and Lois Steed Mike and Jane Subat Tommy and Melanie Tabor Mike Taylor Mark and Heather Teague Gene and Rita Vinson Phil and Joan Walker Charles and Anna Walker Jason and Kristin Whaley Mike and Cheryl White Stephen Gaither and Sara White Jim and Suzanne Williams Chris and Nicole Williams Janet and Phillip Wills Wil Wilson Daniel and Nicole Woodley Joe Wray

– SUPER CAT –

Christy Agner John Albert Alison Alexander Richard and Joanne Anderson Madison Armstrong Jesse and Regina Aton Jerry and Lisa Barger David Bickford Catherine Black Tom Bodine Scott and Evelyn Bond Gary and Kay Boulier Jeanne Bowman Jan and Gary Boyer Bob and Jean Brandon

Brian and Sherri Brewer Jeffrey and Kelley Buchanan Tim and Jana Bunsic Burlingame Tennis Club Greg and Alison Burnette Kelli Butler Ken Carrig Scott and Caroline Caveney Don Charles Trevor Childers Gary and Susan Cogdill Wes and Kristen Cogdill Jerry and Mickey Cook Angela Crouso Ray Davis Kristin Dean Al DeGraffenreid Karen DeMarco Mike DeMatteo Joe and Ronda Denton Doug Dickey Ryan Dills William and Patricia Dixon Josh and Valerie Dobson Barry Dodson David and Valorie Duckworth Ollin Dunford and Jane Adams-Dunford Tim Eckberg Keith and Nina Elliott Mark Ethridge Michael Faircloth Jeff and Jane Fawcett Richard and Sharon Ferguson Bob and Kay Folsom Ryan and Mandy Foster Roger Foxworth Duane and Cheryl Fulton Cynthia Fulton Carl Gary Eddie and Kim Glasscock Karen Glover Jeffrey and Betty Gordon George and Gail-Patricia Greer Margaret Griffith Twig and Elizabeth Grove A.J. and Dan Grube John and Shelia Haire Michaela Hall Betsey Hamlet Marcus Hartsell Kim Haugh Michael and Donna Heilbronn Ronnie and Paula Henderson Michell and Marsha Hicks Charles and Pam Hill Ashley and Lisa Hindman Allison Hinson Bill and Robbin Holland Ed and Debbie Holland Steven and Elizabeth Honbarger David and Kim Hopkins Ingles Markets, Inc. Arnold and Mary Isaacs Scott Jones Dave Kehler Butch and Donna Kerns Chase and Ashley Kress Robert and Jessie Ladd Brad Lakeson Laura Lembeck Bill and Holly Long Rhonda and Gerald Love Don Lucas Henry and Liz Mainwaring Jim Manring Scott and Amy Manshack Kenneth and Donna Mason James Mayer Daniel and Nicole Michael Sam and Renee Miller David and Ginny Miller

Judy Moody Dwight and Anna Mooney David Moore and Darren Whatley Nantahala Bank and Trust Company Paul and Cindy Nicholson Clarisa Nin Steve and Nancy Nixon Bill and Anne Norris Brad North Justin and Kimberly Pace Woody and Diane Padgett Russ Pangle Paige Passerallo Rick and Andrea Pate Stan Pendergraft and Bev Brandt Bruce and Claire Piercy Dale and Lisa Place Tanner Poindexter Tom Posey Lee Putnam Michael Rath Jason and Sarah Rawald Jon and Stefanie Reed Ronnie and Angie Reid Gregory Rhinehart Todd Roper Jim and Rena Rowell Bob Sabin and Susan Hinkle-Sabin Tim and Heather Schofield Tyler Sexton Jeremy Shearer Lee and Tanya Smith Joe and Cecelia Smith Jim and Debra Snow Chip and Alison Soucy Kelly Donaldson and Julie SpiroDonaldson Terry and Meredith Spry Valerie Squires William Staley Gary and Martha Stepp Scott and Jenny Stinson Phil Strouth Tak Tang Neal and Candice Thomas Kelly Thomas Edward and Rebecca Thompson Chuck and Mary Thompson Matt and Kelly Tornow Dan and Karen Tynan Martin and Heather Unger Eric and Heather Vibberts Seth and Cathy Vining Samuel Wallace Jeffrey and Melanie Watts Rick and Jaren Wells Mitch and Rebekah Williams Bill and Laura Wise Jerry and Angie Wise Royce and Marcia Woosley

– PURPLE CAT –

Catrina Alexander Stephen and Taffy Allen Grady Allred and Kirby Morrow James and Theresa Altman Michael Anderson John Anderson John Andrews Jamie and Tricia Ashe Jeremy Bailey Mike and Cindy Baird Scott and Heather Baker Steve Metcalf and Donna Ball-Metcalf Hank Barkley Rodney Barnett Max and Elizabeth Barron Doug and Catherine Beam Rhett and Sara Beard Emmie Beard Walter and Sarah Beaver

Rick and Debra Bennett Neely Bennett Lee Bennett Guy Bergeron and Lynn Trepanier Matt and Amanda Bevins Beth Birt Lee Black John and Mary Black Dayle Blackmon Archie and Georgi Blake Jessica Blake David and Venida Blythe Betty Boger Tom and Vikki Boney William and Bowman Kady Bowman Michael and Ann Bradshaw Stephen Brand Thomas and Kaye Brandon The Bridge Church NC and Lisa Briggs Lindy and Christine Brown Charles Brown Landon Brown Bob and Donna Buckner Jessica Burce Roy and Janice Burnette Brian and Lesley Burnham William Byers and Rebecca Broder Al Byers Christopher Byland Toni Cacozza-Jensen Lauralyn Carlson John and Michelle Carney Dale and Kim Carpenter Chris and Candi Carrington Gregory and Beth Carter Scott Cassell Steve and Doreen Castelloe Phil and Susanne Cauley Travis Chandler Larry Chester Andy Chmar and Gayle Watkins Gina Cleary Jimmy and Lisa Cleaveland Zach and Joni Clement Betsy Cobb Marvin Cole Michael and Regina Cole Dale and Stacey Collins Clinton and Frenchie Cornelius Josh and Sarah Cox Carl Cruse K.C. and Mo Culler Wayne and Joselle Culp Heather Cunanan Nancy Curtis Joey and Melissa Curtis Bryce Davidson Ed and Jennifer Davies Joe Davis Financial Associates, LLC Asia Davis Carl and Gina Dean Bob and Erin DeBarth James DeConinck Gene Degraphenreid Taylor and Fara Dellinger Brian Dempsey Randy and Christie Douglas Kenneth and Linda Douglas Jean Dowell Edward and Julia Downey Brian Drawdy Adam Dries Fred and Margaret Elliott Vicki Erwin Douglas Evans Charlie and Karen Eye Rick and Brenda Falls Jon and Janice Feichter Steve Fisher Ashley Fisher

Greg Fortner Andy Fowkes Craig and Cathy Fowler Billy Franchi Gabby Franklin Lillian Freel Curtis and Jana Fullbright McKinley Fulmer Andrew and Theresa Gallant Lonnie and Winslow Galloway Barclay and Stephanie Gebel Chris Giglio Jeff and Katherine Gilbert Jeffrey and Holly Ginn Kale Goins Josh Gottlieb Jack Graham Deborah Grant Matthew Graves Donald and Leanna Green Judy Green Charles Green Catherine Greene Andrew and Sherry Griffin John and Jan Griffin William and Mandee Gross Christopher and Ginger Guinther Samir Hafiz Kevin Hale Larry Hales Brenda Hamilton Jon Hardister Matt Harlfinger Buzz Hartbarger Michael and Vicki Haskell Bill and Malissa Hawkins Mike Helms Darrin and Babetta Hemphill Bruce and Judy Henderson Brian and Sharon Hendrickson Rodney and Kim Hennon Vance and Charity Henry Brenda Hicks Kemberly Higginbotham Corbin Hightower Glenn and Melinda Hill Zeb Holland Ryan and Tammy Holleman Robin Holley Sara Hopkins Chris and Jackie Houston Jack Hudson Felicia Huffman Jeff Hughes Don Hullett Jeff Hunt Joe and Maxine Hunter Daniel Banks and Corbin Huntley Jamie Hutchens Greg and Dana Hutchinson Brian and Christa Hutzler Impex Auto Sales Davis Jabaley Farrell Jamison Gracie Jenkins Rodney and Sherry Jessup Missy Jones Len and Phyllis Jones Sharon Jones Joel and Heather Jones Sara Jones Leigh and Suzanne Judy Travis Justice David and Pat Kaemmerling Robert and Cindy Kelley Cullen Kerigan Lang and Cathey Kerr Adam Kettle John and Gina Khayata Brittany Kicklighter Mark King Donald Kizer

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 59

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2026-27 CATAMOUNT CLUB MEMBERSHIP LIST Kristen Kluttz Adam and Cheryl Knobeloch Steve and Kristine Kornegay John and Lynn Koutsogiannis Chad Lackey Andy and Angela Lambert Kevin and Renee Langley JJ Laughridge Matt Lawing Todd Lawing Dean and Shannon Ledford Lisa Lefler Stan and Lana Lehmans Frank and Dianne Leonard William and Christina Lester Barry and Latasha Lewis Joshua and Miranda Lobs John Locke Craig and Anna Locklear Victor Lofquist and Beth Lofquist Ray Lopez Roger and Diana Low Donna Lucas Ted and Ann Luckadoo Matthew Lyon Monte Mahin Blake Queen and Rebecca Manring David and Sara Markle Amanda and Jonathan Markle Ken Marshall Luis Martinez Kenneth and Mary Mason Joe Bill Mathews Chuck and Mallory Mathewson Gene May John McArthur Fredy McCollum Lisa McDonough Cameron and Christel McDowell Mark and Cynthia McGlothlin Patrick and Jeanne McGuire Samuel and Heather McGuire Patrick McKaughan Mike McKinney Addison McPhail Jeffrey and Sarah McPhail Jim and Mary Medlin Matt Megill Steven Mellon Peggy Melville Jordon Milch Mark Millen James Miller Chad and Stacey Miller Bill and Tausha Millwood Curtis and Kellie Monteith Mike and Doris Moore Katy Morden Ken and Pat Morgan Jason and Karen Morrison Stephen Moss William Moultrie Brian Mullen and Mindy Weathers Brian and Kelly Myers Bill and Kathy Myers Dawn Myers Shannon Myers Mark and Heidi Nash Michael and Sherri Naylor Rick and Anne Nicholson Mike Nixon Toby Norman Riley Oakley One Chaptr Roy Osborn Joseph Ossiander Josh and Amy Paris Thomas and Kelly Parker Chad Parris Trace and Robin Pate Curtis and Ann Patterson Jamie and Christy Perry

Scott and Sue Persons Carlton and Barbara Phillips Kyle and Syd Pifer Dusty and Judy Pless Amy Poteat David and Kim Preston Stephen and Laura Price Taylor and Ashlyn Purus Bert and Meredith Radford Bobby and Lydia Raines Mike and Suzanne Rainwater Keith Ramsey Darius Ramsey Lavonia Reese John and Joanne Reid Michael and Nancy Ridenhour LeRoy and Gale Roberson Kenneth Roberts Owen and Beth Robertson Andy and Keitha Rodden Scott Rosenschein Randolph and Sue Rush David Moore and Mary Russo Tim Rybak Mike Saffioti Taylor and Kourtney Sandefur Tony Saunders Chris Scarlett Rebecca Schlosser George and Gabrielle Schmitt Jacquie Schoder Preston and Leigh Schoonover Todd and Joanna Schultz Derek and Christina Sedlmyer Chad and Lolita Selby Kevin and Missy Shambley Curtis Sharpe Jerry Shepardson Jonny Sherwood Timothy Shiflet Rhonda Silver Real Estate Group LLC Si and Cindi Simmons Dave Sims Brad Skelton Dean and Lynn Slusser Jerry and Anne Smart Alex and Beverly Smith Skip and Tina Smith Mark and Lisa Smith Michael Smith Callan and Elizabeth Smith Marie Smith Charles and Constance Smith Carol Smith The Smoky Mountain News LLC Dwight and Elizabeth Sparks Doug and Amanda Spees Dick Stallings Matthew and Sherry Starling Betty Jo and Magic Staton Wayne Staton Todd Staton Nick Stenger Ricky Stout Bob Stow Zip Stowe Jeff and Jennifer Stowe Bob Street Bobby and Richele Stroop Rollie and Mary Sumwalt Marcus and Ann Sutton Marek and Elizabeth Syska Carly Tinstman Tyler Tyndall Dan and Andrea Tyre Laura Underwood Mark and Marion Van Kirk Jamie Van Pelt Kerry Vatrano Alan Hardwick and Adriana Velez Justin Verwey Amy Vichathep

60 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

Eddie Vick Jimmy Villiard Todd Vinyard and Johanna Vinyard Craig and Kay Wagner Anne Walker Raymond Wallace Rhonda Wallace Stephen and Melissa Wargo David and Brenda Warlick Zak Warner Bob Washel Patrick and Suzanne Watson Dee and Tamara Webb Jerry and Laura Wellmon Larry West Norman and Carolyn West Jonathan West Tommy and Shelly White Chrissie White Matt and Jamie White Dave White Carol White John Wilborn Frank Wilder Kelly and Pamela Wilkinson Eric and Erica Willard Mitchell and Kelly Williams Nate Williams Caitlin Williams Rick Williams Tony and Sherry Willis Jeff Willis Mike Wilmoth Felicia Wilson Kevin and Danielle Wittekind David and Rhonda Woodell Scott and Celina Woods Bill Wright Kerry Wyche Michael Young Ron Young Lee and Shela Yount Alison Yount Ericka Zimmerman Matthew and Suzanne Zudans Paul and Patricia Zullo Gary Zumstein Paul and Amanda Zytnik

– GOLD CAT –

Pablo and Jessica Abraham Alex Abraham David Abruzzese Jesus Adames Deana Adams Nikki Aguilar Craig Aiken Kyle Aldridge James and Tonya Amelia Brandy Andersen David Anderson Tate Apodaca Brian and Jennifer Arnberger Robert Arrington Philip Arrington Jim and Jacqueie Arrington Jonathan Arrowood Tammy Arsenault Travis and Clarissa Ashe Tom and Lisa Atwater Don and Cathy Babb Ray and Glenda Bailey Larry and Sena Baker Michael and Wendy Banull Greg and Kimberly Barfield Todd and Kristi Barr Roger and Sue Bartlett Anjie and Ted Basnight Andrew Bates Albert and Betty Beard Alan Beck and Kim Cherry-Beck Pamela Beck Chase and Katherine Bell

Elbert and Barbara Bell Chad and Donda Bennett Reid Bennett Lucie Bertrand Varonique Bertrand Ludovic Bertrand Matthew Bigmeat Luke and Abigail Bishop Buffy Blackwell Frank and Sonja Blalock Clay Bolton April Bone Ralph and Carol Borland Paul Bowdre Cole Bowen David and Darenda Bowers Christy Bowles Robert and Colleen Bradley Eva Bradshaw Ralph and Betty Brafford Glenn and Joyce Bridges Damon Brinkley Brookings Cashiers Village Outfitters Josh and Bekah Brooks Scott Brown Shea and Gloria Browning Thomas and Claudia Buchanan Carter Buffkin and Megan Moore Mike and Amy Bullard Donna Rae Bumgarner Jason Burns Gary and Anne Marie Bursevich Tony and Pamela Burton Thomas and Gloria Butler Tom and Terri Butler Rex Cable Craig Cagle Jim and Jean Calaverne Jack and Susan Calloway Joseph Camac David and Sue Cambre Brandy Cantu Will Carter Leigh Castle Zach Caudill Michael Ceccarelli Jeanna Chandler Mark Chapman Dave and Lorisa Cheney Cherokee Central Schools Michael Christenbury Bruce Clayton John Clements Eric and Melissa Clonch Susan Cobb Jimmy Cochran Bill Cole Troy and Kim Cole Jim and Jane Cole Vance and Angela Cook Alexander Cooper Casey and Jill Cooper Quinn and Amber Cooper Alan Corbett Stephen and Kelly Cosenke Kent and Janet Cranford Stephen Crawford Donald and Sybil Crawford Ralph Crisp Doug Croft Michael Cross Kathy Crowley Perry and Debbie Crutchfield Reagan Culver Don and Jean Dalton Ellie Daniels Byron and Mary Darby Jim Darby Marsh Dark Chris and Sherri Davenport Nicholas Davis Colton and Courtney Davis Linda Davis Robert and Sharon Davis Bryan Davy

Ernie and Kathleen de la Torre Pam Degraffenreid Chuck and Julie Dellinger Steve and Melissa Demarco Sarah Demarest Katherine Denny Mark Denny Emily Derrick Will Derrick Robert and Hannah DeSoto Raymond Dillard Gary and Nancilee Dills Daniel Dorsey Crystal Douglas Tom and Judy Dowell Seth Drummond Alan Duckett Ryan Duckett Amy Dunn Tyler Easterly Bill and Cathy Eaton Charlotte Eckard Gerald and Linda Edlin Stephanie and Jacob Edwards Chris and Jessica Elliott Eddie Estridge Roger and Linda Euliss Donna Fauth Anna Fentriss Eamonn and Barbara Fitzgerald Shelby Fitzpatrick Stephen Flaherty Suzie Flaherty Mike and Vicky Ford J.D. Forrester Ashley Foster William and Jill Fowkes Jo-D and Melissa Franklin Chris and Susan Freeman Richard and Angie French Dale and Carrie Friese Gene and Kimberly Fulp Thomas Futch David Gabler Brian Galloway Christy Garrett Connie Gartin Chet and Lane Gatlin Merry Gebel Connie Gellner Frank and Laura Geraci Jay and Catrin Giles Mike and Lisa Gillespie Michael and Megan Glass Thomas and Joan Goff Billy and Julie Gonzales Don and Lisa Good Mitch Goodson Kyle Goodwin Steve and Mary Grady Kelley Graham Jerome and Dee Ann Grand Myra Grant David and Eileen Greb Buck and Margaret Green Trent Greene Jared and Jennifer Greenwood Kevin and Victoria Greenwood Corina Gribble Robert Grissett Katherine Griswold Robert Groenke Steve and Susan Guffey Bill and Linda Haggard Jeanne Bryne and Brenda Halford Greg and Charmain Hamer Bob Hamer Charlie and Knox Hardin Jesse Harkins Matt and Jane Harnad Bill Harper Rhett Harrelson Leroy and Sharhonda Harrill Mo and Jenifer Harris Justin and Brandy Harris

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2026-27 CATAMOUNT CLUB MEMBERSHIP LIST Gregory Hartlage Jeff Hartlage Tressa Hartman Alvin and Sharon Harvell Morris Hatcher Marty Hatcher Rusty Hawkins Harry and Holly Haywood Marshall and Anne Hegler Matthew Heisler Kelly and Susan Helms Hank Henderson Jake Buchanan and Miffy Henley Suzanne Henry Cameron Pierce and Hayley Henson George and Karen Hepburn Michael and Amy Hobbs Glenn Holland Leonard and Lynn Hollifield Bob Holt Keith and Kaye Hooker William Hooper Hooty Hooten Rob and Coleen Hosack Norman and Susie Hubbard Gary Huffman Tommy Huffman Claire and Hugh Huffstutler Tripp and Vicki Hughes Roy Hurst Brad and Ashley Hyder Fred and Carie Irving David and Molly Jackson Demetria Jackson Dwight Jackson Ed and Melissa Jagger Andrew and Lauren Jeffords Scott Jens Ed Jimenez Melanie Jordan Charlie and Susan Juliano Anthony Kajencki Chuck and Lori Keefer Martha Keel Ben Kees Jim Kelley Christian Keoleian Gregory and Beth Keoleian Kyle Kessler Jason Kilgore Peter and Jennifer Kima Donald and Laura Kimmer Kirk Kirouac and Cortney Moore Paul and Jeanmarie Koonts Marcie Korte Steve Korte Doright and Debbie Korytoski Eileen Kress Max Krpejs Kurt and Kimberly Krueger Victoria Ladd Gwendolyn Laguardia Susan Lambreth Clifton Lambreth Scott Lancaster Gerald Lane Jenny Lauer Brian and Kristen Leake Catherine Leblanc Robert Lee Lisa Lettieri Ed and Leslie Levy Tim and Ali Lewis Cody and Melissa Lewis Liberty Community Christian Church, LC3 Jeff and Karen Lineberger Bill Linn Bill and Jane Littlejohn John and Lindsay Lockett Steve and Carole Loflin William Long Kelly Lopez Charles Lucas Clevie and Shirley Luckadoo Katie Lyda

Brandon and Catherine MacCallum Erin Maciorowski Lesley Madden Jamie Magalhaes Brian and Marcie Maines Francis Maness Sam and Kara Manooch John Manuel Marion City Club Chris and Julie Marks Brad Marsico David Martin Stephen and Sharon Martin Matthew Martin Ray and Wanda Martis Joel and Janie Mashburn Gary and Sandi Massey Jenny Massey-McMahan Jerry and Judy Matheny Jody Mathis and June Hannah-Mathis Amy Matthews Ron and Rochelle Mau Joshua Mauney Lee McCall Ruth McConnell Seth and Cheryl McCormick Bill McCracken Al and Sari McCracken Sandi McCracken Joel and Sarah McCracken John and Charity McDaris Dawn McDonald Barry McDonald Suzanne McDowell Cary and McGann Randy McGann Jess McGee Michael McGill Cathy McIntosh Jonathan and Jodi McIntosh Daniel and Phyllis McIntyre David McKay Erwin and Debbie McKinzie Joel McKenzie Brian and Shanna McLamb Phil and Julia McManus Timothy and Jennie McNeilly Douglas Mead Brandon Medlin Mark and Jill Meeks Richard and Jody Megill Ronnie and Margaret Melton Susan Miles Patsy Miller Eric and Erin Miller Dean and Terri Miller Janet Millsaps Mary Lou Millwood Jim and Frances Mincey Henry and Gail Mitchell Haley Mitchell Ronnie and Beth Mixon Aaron Moffat Robby Molony Robin Monroe Brian Moore Derrick Morgan Mark Morgan Randall Morrow Hollye Moss Janice Mozeleski Maddy Mueller Scot and Ellen Mulheron Gary and Jan Mullis Bekah Mumm Amanda Murchie Jonathan Murphrey Martin and Ann Murray Brian and April Musser John and Joan Myers David Nache Larry Davis and Dawn Neatherly Melissa Neef Rob and Cathy Neill Thomas and Emily Nelson

Mark and Kimberly Nelson Kris Nicholls Kirby Niemeyer Ken and Brenda Niemeyer Russell and Brandy Nolen Rhobie Nowlin Rick and Ann Odom Faviola Olvera Drew Parham Todd Parsons Hugh and Linda Passingham Roshni Patel Tom and Holly Patton Ed and Sandra Payne Lindsay Pelone Larry and Barbara Pendry Lewis Penland Helene Perron Jason and Kristen Perzanowski Jason Brown and Christy Phillips-Brown Alex and Ashley Pilkington Nick and Marijo Plott Danny and Beth Poole Daniel and Cathy Portaro Blaze and Melissa Porter David Powell Karen Powers Gary Powers Becca Prichard Tom Banks and Sharon Quackenbush Terry and Nancy Rankin Scott and Pam Rankin David and Joan Rathburn David and Natalie Rayburn Christopher Rayle Bryan and Kimberly Reeves Michael Reeves Brian Reid Anthony Rendon Oliver Reynolds Brandon Reynolds Billy and Kathy Rhinehart Katherine Rigdon Sean Riley Bevans and Krissy Robbs Jim and Nellie Roberts Brian and Nisa Roberts Carol Roberts Kevin Robidoux Robert and Sally Robinson Casey Roche Jefferson Rockett Tiffany Rogers Kaylee Roope Arnold and Donna Roope Sidney Rudisill Matt and Susan Rupert Vanda Russell Carrie Russell Matt Saenger Jesse Sampson Noah Sautter Marvin and Barbara Schade Michael and Diane Schallock Keith Scoggins Bill and Kristin Scott Jacob Scott Scott Seagle Jim Seagraves Ned and Joyce Seaman Alison Seberger Trey and Stacie Selby Joey Self Jamie and Ashlee Self Richard Sellers Sergio Serrano Dennis and Beth Setzer Lamont Seward Ralph Shelley Myron and Kelli Shelor Keri Shelton Andrew and Laura Shepard Michael and Deborah Shepard Ron Shirley Richard Shore

Lyn and Debbie Short David Shortt Lucy Shue Terrellena Shular Doug and Brenda Sidney Christopher Simmons Mike Simpson Dave and Jenn Skoglund Scott and Mary Smith John and Rebecca Smith Gwyn Smith Walter Smith Clint Smith Skye Smith Christopher Smith James and Jana Smith Smokefoot Trade and Loan, Inc. Thomas Sneed Brad and Alison Snyder Craig and Jonni Snyder Jeanine Soucy Stephen and Marina Spears Carole Speas Janis Spelman Michale Spicer Wade and Elisabeth St. John Pamela Stanley Richard and Barbara Starnes Shane Stetler Christine Stevens John Stevens Linda Stewart Rusty and Guindy Stewman Michael and Jill Stillwagon Matt Stillwell Rupert Stout Marc and Whittney Stricker Logan and Tasha Summers Alton and Rena Sutton Rod and Leslie Sweatman Noel Sweeney Phil and Trish Tate Jeff Taylor Samantha Teague Adam and Regina Tebrugge Frank and Lacy Thompson Rusty and Karen Thompson Odell Thompson and Shannon Thompson Nathan and Thompson Patricia Thompson John Thurman and Sharon Thurman David Tinstman Aaron and Julie Todd Gene and Beth Torres Timothy and Lynn Towery James and Stephanie Treadway Jerry and Mary Troxler Jonathan Tsipis Chuck and Sheila Tucker Mona Tucker Natalie Turgeon Anthony and Laura Turner Cynthia Turnipseed Keith Tyburski Paul Updegraff Al and Sally Vanhoy Kevin and Bridget Vasquez Mark Veals Peter and Cindy Veit Russell Vibberts Tripp and Jennifer Viverette Christy Walker John Wallace Catherine Walsh Mike Wash Robert Watkins Mike and Holly Weaver Brad and Christy Weaver Jesse and Catherine Webb Zachary Weeks Irene Welch Daniel Meyer and Lynne Wells-Meyer Brian and Emilly Whitaker John and Rita White

MaKenzie White Dusty and Meleah White James White Freda White Dan and Ashley White Steve Whitmire Matthew and Rachel Wike Edward and Kimberly Wike Dave Wilkins Chuck and Abbie Wilkins Alan and Donna Willard Ken and Dottie Williams Eric and Belinda Williams Melinda Williams Dwight Williams Amber Williams Chuck and Hope Williamson Barbara Williamson Chris and Laura Wilson Frank and Holly Wilson Eric and Whitney Wilson Eric Wilson David and Sally Withers Stephen and Stella Wolfe Linda Worlund-Senyo Rick and Kathleen Wray Debbie Wright James and Jennifer Wright William Wright Greg and Debra Young Terry and Danniel'le Young Ron and Dianne Yount Tony Zande Edward and Louise Zoller John and Barbara Zudans

– PAWS –

George and Anne Abbott Pat Abbott Cam Adams Chris Adkins Gwen Aguiar Thomas and Frances Aiton Dexter Akers Jason Alexander Mike and Libby Alexander Joseph Alexander Payton Allen Jayla Allen Basel Alsayyed Ahmad Douglas and Joan Altizer Kaleb Ambrose Angela Anderson Tracy Andrews Kia Karin Asberg Phil and Dana Ayers Joan Baker John Balentine Mollie Balfe Erica Ball Michael and Megan Barker Brian Wilson and Morgan Barkley Olivia Basilicato Joan Bass Jeff and Melissa Beauchamp Stephanie Beaumont Brian and Brooke Becker Charlie Bell and April Hicks John Bennett Rusty and Nicole Bergen Benji Berkwits Kelly Best Cole Beverlin Alex Bially Jamie Bigby Luke Bjelland Nia Blackwell Tiffany Blassingame Maggie Blevins Janelle Blue Brenda Boensch Trevor Bone Cam Bookhart Harper Bosch Wilson Boyd

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 61

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2026-27 CATAMOUNT CLUB MEMBERSHIP LIST Imani Boyd Brian Boyer Jay and Rebecca Braddy Bob Bradley Chase Bradley Cherie Bragg Jennifer Brennan Maggie Brostic Jenn Brown Andrew Brown Audrea Brown Joy Brown-Harris Jim and Julie Buchanan Josef Buettner Erica and David Bullock Eric Buschman Chuck Bush Melissa Bush Katie Butler Johnathon Byers Natasha Byrth Cassie Cairns Matthew and Judith Caldwell Ryan Campbell Clay Cantler Josh and Scotti Carnes Sandra Carpenter Lanelle Carr Josh Carrico Devlyn Carroll Jeffrey and Melanie Carter Chelsi Carter Ken Casida Shelley Caudill Dan and Lisa Chase Jade Chester Malik Chevry Susan Childress Daniel Clark Larry Clifton Jonathan Cline Daphne Cobb Victoria Coffey Ryan Cogdill Amber Cole Richard and Amber Coley Keri Conneen Aislyn Coones Richard and Linda Cooper Marvin and Brynn Cope John Corlew Larry and Toma Councilman Anne Marie Covar Teri Crider Taylor Crowder Brannon Curtis Anthony Dalton Jessica Dalton Gary and L. K. Darnell John Davis Trevor Davis Jacob Dean Cooper DeCoursey Brittney DelGreco Julie and Matt Denesha Mike DeSarno Ryan DeVitto Robyn Dezern Samuel Dill Harry and Paula Dolan Shalenna Donley Chase Dorman Jared Dragoo Josh Duckett Tyler Dull Travis Dull Andy and Jordan Dunn Charles Eberle Monica Ebert Jim and Linda Echols Sarah Edwards Roberta Elder Wade and Barbara Elliott Matthew Ellsworth Alexis Eusebio

62 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

Ashley Evans Chris Fauth Darrell and Debra Feimster Aloma Felder Nevy Fisher Michael and Sarah Forbis Kelsea Foster Ted and Donna Fowlkes Ben Frederick Larry Freeman Phillippe Gagne Paul Garner Jane Garrett Tabitha Garza Ashley Gasaway Lisa Gazda Sydney Gentry Kendall Gentry Daniel and Lynette Gibson Michael Gilbert Karl and Tena Giles Cynthia Girard Ava Gorman Zoe Graham Seth Graves Andrew Green Stephen Grieger Jacob Grubbs Scott and Gail Haber Jenny Hahn Kevin and Leigh Hall Hannah Hall Michael Hall Chris Harris Kevin Harris Bailey Hartsough Corey and Whitley Headley Kevin and Darlene Hegel Olivia Henderson Alison Henry Audrey Hersom Hailey Hersom Joan Hicks Hub and Gloria Hickson Roger and Tenisea Higgins Jarred and Brooke Hill Lily Hill Hannah Hilton Julia Hogan Keith Hogan Thomas Hogan Annie Hogan Raymond and Emily Holmberg Fred and Karen Holtz Wat Hopkins Jennifer Hostettler Sherri Houston Kim Howell Mouriene Howell Lauren Howes Claudia Howes Glenn and Jaye Huber Joe Hughes Walter and Terri Hunter Troy Huntley Lauren Hutzler Timothy and Amelia Inman Aimee Janney Jarod and Lyly Jernigan Rory Jimerson Kevin and Terri Johnson Sandra Johnson Jennifer Jones Cody Jones Savannah Jones Emma Jones Andrew Jordan Tonya Jordan Deja Jordan John and Anita Joyce Jeremiah Judd David Kahn Melynda Kaifes Deana Kaplan Jocelyn Keen

Caitlyn Kelly Barrett Kenan Derek Kent Maryanne Kilgore Jan and Wade King John King Marcie Kinley Jim and Susan Kiser Phillip and Jane Kneller Jeff Korte Jinny La Bar CJ Landy Lisa Langston Jordan Collins and Jessica Lankford Donald and Joanna Leonard Philip Leone Melissa LeRoy Brandon Lewis Sandra Liles Anna Lindmark John and Salit Lipscomb Denise Lisi Rachel Loggins J.D. and Chloe Long Adamari Lopez Sydney Lowery Gene Lowery Rita Lutz Scott and Amy Lyman DeAnne Macchia Lori MacLeod Bob and Sandra Magee Bryce Malcolm Gary Malloy Diane Manning Vanessa Manning Daniel and Becky Manring Toni Marchisella Kevin Marion Karen Marshall Ken and Faye Marshburn Robert Martin Eli Martinez Rick Martinez Nick Mashburn Michael Mazarky Hayden McAteer James McCallister Lisa McCloud Leslie McCrimon Jeff and Lisa McDaris Kam McDonald Ray and Madge McDonald Marcus McGann Julie McGinnis Barry and April McKinney Robyn McLaughlin Kelly McLaughlin Justin and Kristin Menickelli Owen Mettam Sam Metz Forraile Michael Niall and Terry Michelsen Chandra Miller Katie Miller Carson Miller Natosha Millsaps Victoria Molter Kyle and Terryjean Moody Thomas and Jo Moore Katie Moore Susan Moore J. P. and Rebecca Morgan Cohen Morgan Gavin Mortenson Ellen Moss Kim and Wendal Moss Katherine Mudrovic Jackie Mulcahy Brendan Nail Bo Nance Richard and Maryanne Neal Andy Nelson and Nikki Nichols Charlie Goodson and Salem Niehaus Scott Nogi

Liam Nolan Steve and Sharon Norman Elizabeth Novotny Garrett and Evette O'Connor Katie O'Connor Mitch Ormand Deana Orta Blair and Tori Osborne Ashley Owens Harry Page Jessica Palmer Robert and Melanie Panaccione Bill and Cathy Parrott Randy and Christie Paxton Chris Peery Branch Pendry Michael and Jamie Peoples Angela Perez Barro Caroline Perret Brandon Best and Rae Perry Rosalind Poe Ira and Carolyn Pope Tyler and Kendra Pope James Porter Gene and Susan Posey Chloe Poteat Meghan Prass Jeremy Prats Nolan and Susan Prestwood Bek Price Rodney Provost Bobby and Katie Purgason Brian Queen Timothy and Yvette Queen Roger and Becky Radford Deborah Rainey James and Tonya Raleigh Donna Ramsey Sid Rappe Joshua and Savanah Ray Anthony Jarvis and Amanda Retzbach David Rhode Stephen Rhodes Adrienne Rieley James Roberts James and Emily Robertson Daniel and Stacey Robinette Caleb and Kasey Robinson Anthony Rocha TaKeeta Rogers Craig Owen and Kierra Roseboro Evan Rudo Sue Rutledge Jim Saltz Bob and Kathleen Sanders Matthew Savage and Jenna Burns Walter and Carolyn Schmidt Charles Schmidt Stephanie Schmitz Erin Schneider David and Denissa Schulman Jonathan Scott Darric and Stephanie Sewell Zach Shatley Amy Shearer Randy Shuford Jenea Shuler Justin Siddle Tyson Silver Timothy and Deanna Stilinger Scott and Paula Sitton James Small Jordan and Hayley Smith Keith and Deborah Smith Ali Smith Madigan Smith Emily Smith Renick and Mary Smith Nicholas Snedeker Dusty and Tonya Snider Joey Snyder Noelle Soldo Brinson Soles Darrin and AnnMarie Spain Margaret Sprinkle

Deborah Stamper Teri Steinhardt Malik Stewart Nate Stocum Kaylee Stoltz Richard Storrs Julie Straus Bradley and Kimberly Strong Kristen Sugg Tim Summers Zeyi Sun Justice Sundstrom Brodey and Liberty Sundstrom Taylor Svehla Chelsi Swink Savannah Tanner William and Joyce Tessier Marcus Thomas Mike and Lisa Thompson Josh and Brittany Thompson Madison Thompson Bucky and Betty Thornburg Tim Timmons Kat Torode Gail Totherow Whitney Tracy Richard and Penny Tracy Brooks Treadaway Drew and Brooke Tucker Brooke Tucker Sydney Turner Drew and Courtney Umphlett Robert Vibberts Jimmy Viola Ava Vlkovic Joseph W. Kyle Waltz Mike and Melinda Ward Molly Ward Cole Watkins Kerry Webb Megan Weigel Kat Welborn Michael West Christopher Westrich Jack and Margaret Whelan Ed White David White Danielle White Nolan White Yates White Nicholas Whiting Joy Willard-Williford Kee Kee Williams David and Lucy Williams Al and Terry Williams John Williams Kinsey Williams Susan Williamson Teresa Winfree Hannah Wing David and Pamela Winter Samantha Wolchesky Brittnee Woodall Madelyn Woodard Dan Pyles and Beth Woodard Eric and Kristin Wright Mary Yoos Tiffany Young Isiah and Dasha Young Ty and Brooke Yount Membership list as of Aug. 21, 2026

DEFENDING CATAMOUNTS

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MEET THE 2026 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS

0 AJ Colombo

Blue Monroe

WR – 5-8 – 170 – 5th Yr. Waxhaw, N.C.

LB – 6-1 – 225 – 5th Yr. Concord, N.C.

3 Josh Perry

RB – 6-0 – 205 – So. Orlando, Fla.

Joshua Collins LB – 6-1 – 225 – Jr. Bryson City, N.C.

Marcus Striggles

Jayden Cornelius

WR – 5-9 – 180 – Jr. North Lauderdale, Fla.

Ian Grissom

QB – 6-1 – 170 – So. Rock Hill, S.C.

CB – 5-10 – 175 – So. Fort Meade, Fla.

Jai Boyd Jr.

WR – 6-2 – 180 – Sr. Ridgeway, S.C.

Kha'leal Sterling

Andre Jackson Jr.

WR – 5-9 – 170 – So. Miami, Fla.

Trey Walker

WR – 5-10 – 180 – So. Hoschton, Ga.

9 Bode Burns

TE – 6-5 – 245 – Jr. Dunnellon, Fla.

Ken Moore Jr.

SPUR – 5-10 – 160 – 5th Yr. Miami, Fla.

Eldrick Robinson II LB – 6-0 – 230 – 5th Yr. Pensacola, Fla.

CB – 5-10 – 180 – So. Charlotte, N.C.

Marseille Taylor

CB – 6-2 – 190 – 5th Yr. Sanford, Fla.

10 Santana Carlos WR – 5-11 – 175 – Fr. Hollywood, Fla.

2 Lex Thomas

QB – 5-11 – 205 – Jr. Raleigh, N.C.

Na'koma Simpson-Nealy S – 5-10 – 175 – Jr. Altamonte Springs, Fla.

5 Michael Rossin

WR – 6-0 – 200 – So. Live Oak, Fla.

Braylon Jones S – 6-1 – 205 – Sr. Rockmart, Ga.

Marlin Cochran RB – 6-0 – 200 – Sr. Miami, Fla.

Ryan McKinnis

LB – 6-2 – 220 – Sr. Buford, Ga.

Jabari McWilliams DL – 6-0 – 270 – Jr. Picayune, Miss.

Isaac Lee

QB – 6-4 – 190 – Jr. Concord, N.C.

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 65

w 2026 CATAMOUNT EXTRA POINTS – GAME DAY PROGRAM w

MEET THE 2026 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS

11 Marco Patierno

LB – 6-1 – 230 – 5th Yr. Wake Forest, N.C.

14 Vanier Baptiste III DL – 6-3 – 280 – Jr. Lehigh Acres, Fla.

17 Ja'Torian Mack S – 5-11 – 185 – So. Eatonville, Fla.

20 Quency Grant III CB – 5-10 – 170 – Fr. Columbia, S.C.

12 Jake Morrow

QB – 6-0 – 195 – Fr. Grand Blanc, Mich.

15 Michael Davis Jr. WR – 6-0 – 170 – Fr. Leesville, La.

18 Matthew Keener WR – 6-2 – 200 – Jr. Pilot Mountain, N.C.

21 Joshua Balloon RB – 5-9 – 170 – Fr. Tampa, Fla.

66 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

12 Julian Quintero S – 6-0 – 200 – Jr. St. Augustine, Fla.

15 Hank Bodine

LB – 6-0 – 230 – So. Velva, N.D.

18 Trystan Anderson

DL – 6-4 – 255 – 5th Yr. Buffalo Grove, Ill.

21 Nassor Ashenafi

SPUR – 5-9 – 170 – So. Washington, D.C.

13 Richard Hollis

WR – 5-8 – 170 – So. Pompano Beach, Fla.

16 Caleb Tucker

QB – 6-2 – 200 – Fr. Woodbridge, Va.

19 Mouhamadou Mane WR – 6-2 – 180 – Fr. Kathleen, Ga.

22 Derrick Davis, Jr.

RB – 6-1 – 210 – 5th Yr. Pittsburgh, Pa.

13 Caleb Turner-Allen BAN – 6-2 – 250 – Jr. Miami, Fla.

16 Chase Kerns

DL – 6-1 – 280 – Jr. Decatur, Ga.

19 Cain Jefferson

BAN – 6-3 – 225 – So. Decatur, Ga.

23 Jerry Gaines

Western Carolina – 1971-74 WCU Athletics Hall of Fame

14 Kale Woodburn WR – 5-8 – 170 – Jr. Warner Robins, Ga.

17 Patrick Harding QB – 6-3 – 190 – Fr. Zephyrhills, Fla.

20 Jadarius Dobie RB – 5-8 – 170 – Fr. Lakeland, Fla.

24 Anthony Benjamin RB – 5-10 – 170 – Sr. Fort Myers, Fla.

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MEET THE 2026 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS

24 Terrell Poyser

CB – 6-3 – 170 – Fr. Wildwood, Fla.

28 Chris Hobbs

CB – 6-2 – 180 – So. Decatur, Ga.

34 Jordan Martin-Durham BAN – 6-3 – 260 – So. Jacksonville, Fla.

41 Beady Waddell V LB – 6-0 – 220 – Jr. Summerville, S.C.

25 Noah Best

RB – 5-11 – 195 – So. Charlotte, N.C.

29 Christian Robbins CB – 6-1 – 190 – So. Orlando, Fla.

35 Trey Berry III

LB – 6-1 – 220 – So. Bartow, Fla.

42 Luke Waters

K/P – 6-2 – 205 – Fr. Toccoa, Ga.

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25 Caleb Young Jr. S – 6-0 – 210 – Fr. Gainesville, Fla.

30 Jaden Meeks

DL – 6-2 – 225 – Jr. Charlotte, N.C.

37 Devon Wilson Jr. CB – 5-11 – 190 – Fr. Mauldin, S.C.

43 Braeden Barger LB – 6-1 – 230 – So. Weddington, N.C.

26 Devin Brown

CB – 5-10 – 160 – So. Miami, Fla.

31 Alant'e Reese

S – 6-2 – 205 – Fr. Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

38 Jayden Joselin

S – 6-0 – 185 – Fr. North Lauderdale, Fla.

44 Isaac McLellan

TE – 6-2 – 240 – 5th Yr. Rock Hill, S.C.

27 Elijah Hadley

RB – 5-10 – 200 – Sr. Charlotte, N.C.

32 AJ Mintze

S – 6-0 – 185 – So. Miami, Fla.

39 Jonathan Powell-Battle DB – 6-0 – 170 – Fr. Wilson, N.C.

45 Honor Paxton

LB – 6-3 – 215 – Fr. Apex, N.C.

27 Jermiyah Douglas SPUR – 5-10 – 175 – Fr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

33 Gavin Rowell

DL – 6-3 – 255 – 5th Yr. Melbourne, Fla.

40 Landon Pope

RB – 5-10 – 225 – Fr. Canton, N.C.

46 Nolan McClanahan LB – 6-1 – 220 – So. Lake Mary, Fla.

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MEET THE 2026 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS

47 Dylan Harris

DL – 6-5 – 245 – Fr. Ocala, Fla.

53 Zach Watson

OL – 6-1 – 295 – Sr. Waycross, Ga.

60 Bryan McCollum K – 5-8 – 165 – So. Sanford, N.C.

67 Steven Hamby

OL – 6-5 – 325 – Sr. Statesville, N.C.

48 Roman Jones

TE – 6-3 – 230 – Fr. Robbinsville, N.C.

55 Art Byrd

Western Carolina – 1946-49 WCU Athletics Hall of Fame

61 Marcus Trout

K – 5-11 – 175 – So. Cocoa, Fla.

68 Aidan Cooper

OL – 6-4 – 305 – So. Charlotte, N.C.

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Bryce Hart

LB – 6-2 – 220 – So, Ringgold, Ga.

Secrea Algie

OL – 6-5 – 320 – Jr. Snellville, Ga.

62 Brian Wheat

OL – 6-3 – 285 – Fr. Jacksonville, Fla.

69 Cole Cooke

OL – 6-8 – 330 – So. Fort Myers, Fla.

50 Xavier Nocco

LS – 6-1 – 200 – Fr. Tampa, Fla.

56 Aaron McIver

OL – 6-2 – 305 – 5th Yr. Charlotte, N.C.

63 Thomas Guerrero P – 5-9 – 160 – So. Greenville, S.C.

71 Sawyer Nelson OL – 6-3 – 280 – Fr. Lenoir, N.C.

51 Aaron Sanez

OL – 6-2 – 295 – 5th Yr. Clearwater, Fla.

57 Kaden Powell

LS – 6-8 – 270 – So. Woodstock, Ga.

64 Konrad Henderson OL – 6-3 – 305 – Sr. Alpharetta, Ga.

72 Andrew Threatt

OL – 6-6 – 285 – 5th Yr. Charlotte, N.C.

52 Brayson McIver OL – 6-2 – 280 – Jr. Charlotte, N.C.

58 Isaac Boulger

OL – 6-2 – 295 – Jr. Northport, Ala.

65 Nicholas Foster OL – 6-1 – 295 – So. Charlotte, N.C.

73 Colin McClellan OL – 6-3 – 265 – Fr. Plant City, Fla.

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MEET THE 2026 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS

75 Renard Smith

OL – 6-4 – 325 – 5th Yr. Dallas, Ga.

82 Davon Washington WR – 5-8 – 160 – Fr. Altamonte Springs, Fla.

88 Cole Craddock

TE – 6-4 – 245 – So. Tarboro, N.C.

95 Mark Fitzgerald K/P – 6-1 – 210 – Fr. Dublin, Ireland

77 John Hammond OL – 6-5 – 320 – So. Spartanburg, S.C.

83 Austin Cunningham WR – 6-0 – 185 – Jr. Columbia, S.C.

89 Ellis Chappell

WR – 6-0 – 185 – So. Hickory, N.C.

96 Jeremy Johnson II DL – 5-10 – 300 – Jr. Atlanta, Ga.

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78 J'veon Bush

OL – 6-5 – 320 – So. Orlando, Fla.

84 Jemarious Reaves WR – 6-1 – 190 – Jr. Hopkins, S.C.

90 Da'Shawn Davis

BAN – 6-2 – 235 – 5th Yr. Charlotte, N.C.

97 Fernando Jeanty

DL – 6-3 – 270 – Jr. North Miami Beach, Fla.

79 Vito Moriana-Sigel OL – 6-5 – 315 – 5th Yr. Estepona, Spain

85 Paul Hartman III TE – 6-5 – 240 – Jr. Springfield, Ill.

91 Jakoby Diamond DL – 6-1 – 305 – So. Cedartown, Ga.

98 Aiden Black

DL – 6-1 – 295 – Fr. Concord, N.C.

80 Corey Swint

WR – 6-0 – 170 – Fr. MIami, Fla.

86 Davis Waddell

TE – 6-5 – 220 – Fr. Cartersville, Ga.

92 Brandon Joseph II DL – 6-3 – 275 – So. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

81 Emanuel Palmer WR – 5-8 – 160 – Fr. Collierville, Tenn.

87 Jake Young

TE – 6-3 – 245 – 5th Yr. Waxhaw, N.C.

94 Malachi Hill

DL – 6-3 – 295 – Fr. Burgaw, N.C.

99 Adrian Stone

DL – 6-3 – 290 – Jr. Fort Myers, Fla.

Brady Hirschy

LS – 6-4 – 200 – Fr. Orlando, Fla.

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THE 2026 WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS FOOTBALL TEAM

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2026 "PRIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS" – MARCHING BAND The students and staff of the 2026 "Pride of the Mountains," Marching Band present “kNOW where,” a field production about knowing where we have been, embracing where we are now, and having the courage to move toward an unwritten future. Last year’s “CONNECT” explored the people, places, experiences, and traditions that connect us across generations. This year, we take the next step. “kNOW where” asks: once you understand where you come from, where do you go from here? The title reflects both KNOW and NOW—knowing our history while embracing the opportunity in front of us. The production features music by Jesus Jones, Queen, Natasha Bedingfield, The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Anderson López & López. CELEBRATE 250 – PREGAME The "Pride of the Mountains" presents a special pregame production, “Celebrate 250,” honoring the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The show opens with an original Americana fanfare arranged especially for WCU by Paul Murtha, renowned composer and arranger for the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” The WCU Dance Team is then featured in Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” followed by Jay Dawson’s beautiful arrangement of “America the Beautiful,” our Alma Mater, and the National Anthem. Pregame concludes with the traditional Spirit Sequence, building excitement for the Catamounts’ entrance and kickoff. Specially crafted red, white, and blue American-themed flags will be featured throughout the production. The "Pride of the Mountains" will perform at all Catamount football games; September 27 at the Land of the Sky Competition at Enka High School in Candler; October 10 at the East Lincoln Carolina Classic in Lincolnton; and October 17 at Western Carolina’s 25th annual "Tournament of Champions." The exhibition season concludes at the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. The "Pride of the Mountains," Marching Band has also accepted an invitation to perform in the London New Year's Day Parade on Jan. 1, 2028, marking another major milestone for one of the nation's premier collegiate marching bands. The invitation places WCU on one of the world's most visible parade stages and continues a tradition of national and international excellence. The "Pride of the Mountains" has represented WCU at some of the most prestigious events in marching band history, including the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California; two Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades in New York City; the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland; and the Bands of America Grand National Championships.

The band also received the Sudler Trophy in 2009, one of the highest honors awarded to collegiate marching bands.

And now, about our 2026 production . . . “kNOW where”

Part I: Can't Stop Us!

A trumpet call harkens to our past and is answered by a musical voice from past membership. We acknowledge those who came before us, then immediately take the first step forward. Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now captures the energy, courage, and unstoppable momentum of the journey.

Part II: Our Story is Unwritten

This generation has inherited a remarkable story, but the next chapter belongs to them. Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten celebrates that possibility, followed by a triumphant In My Life by The Beatles—a reminder that we write our story together, with the friends beside us.

Part III: Breaking Boundaries

The raw energy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Can’t Stop drives a percussioncentered exploration of what a college marching band can become. What is up can be down, what is down can be up, and even the field is no longer a boundary. We are not here to fit inside a box—we are here to break it.

Part IV: Into the Unknown

Our final push takes us Into the Unknown. Anderson López & López’s heroic and optimistic melody becomes a statement about the future. We may not know exactly what comes next, but we have the confidence to take that next step together. Visually, the “dots that we connected” from last year remain part of the story, joined by a single moving dot—like a pin on a map—representing the Pride of the Mountains moving forward on its journey. The production also leans boldly into Western Carolina’s GOLD, representing the excellence and gold standard we strive to set in the college pageantry arts.

We KNOW where we have been. We KNOW who we are. We KNOW who is beside us. The future is wide open. The next chapter is ours to write. NOW.

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"Pride of the Mountains" MARCHING BAND 2026 Instructional Staff and Design Team Matt Henley Dillon Ingle Jeremy Loui Jayda Copeland AJ Junttila Katie Sightler Line Kinsey Seaon Carter

Director of Athletic Bands Assistant Director of Athletic Bands Assistant Director of Athletic Bands Administrative Assistant Director of Color Guard Color Guard Instructor Purple Drum Line Instructor Cymbal Instructor

DESIGN TEAM: Matt Henley, Program Coordinator; Jamey Thompson, Visual Design; Doug Thrower, Wind Arranger; Dillon Ingle, Percussion Arranger; Jeremy Loui, Design Consultant; Daniel Brodie, Sound Design; Ian Lewis, Visual Consultant AJ Junttila, Color Guard Design & Choreographer; Katie Sightler, Color Guard Choreographer; Jimmy Crocker, Prop Design & Fabrication STAFF COORDINATORS: Jason Parker and Katy Riggs 2026 DRUM MAJORS: Joely Martin (Head), Grace Cottrill, Mariana Hernandez, Kadence Watford CAPTION COORDINATORS: Erik Stauffer, Jerry Bradley, Adaline Armstrong, Danny Strother, Austin Williams SERVICE STAFF CHIEFS: Gwen Muchmore, Zach Stowe, Dixie Ashdown, Lilli Haney, Ethan Robinson, Skylar Stowe, Joshua Barker, Lilly Arrowood, Peyton Denning

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WESTERN CAROLINA FIGHT SONG

WESTERN CAROLINA ALMA MATER

Fight on! You Catamounts, Fight for purple and gold. Fight on to victory, True warriors bold. Wave the royal banner high, And let it fill the Western sky. So, fight on! you Catamounts, Fight to vic–to–ry!

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater; Faithful, kind, and true; Every son and every daughter Offers praise to you. – CHORUS – Hail to the dearest spot of all; Hail to WCU! Light and life and fond devotion, All to thee are due. Purple robes and colors golden, Streaming everywhere, Swell our hearts with pride for olden Days and friendships dear. – CHORUS – Under shade trees’ friendly bowers, Voices, ever gay, Mingles with breath of flowers And the song birds’ lay. – CHORUS – Shout aloud with one loud chorus, Voices clear and true, Lifted high in praise and honor, All for WCU! – CHORUS –

Western, Western, Go–Western! Go—Cats! Fight on! You Catamounts, Fight for purple and gold. Fight on to victory, True warriors bold. Wave the royal banner high, And let it fill the Western sky. So, fight on! you Catamounts, Fight to vic–to–ry! Adopted in 1981, Western Carolina’s fight song was composed by members of the University faculty including

Mr. Dick Trevarthen.

Western Carolina and Catamount Athletics was saddened to learn of his passing in August 2022

Wonder why.

Wander out. livewestern.wcu.edu

LIVE WESTERN

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KELLI R. BROWN

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR

Western Carolina University is led by the Chancellor, the university’s chief administrative officer, with guidance and policy oversight from the Board of Trustees. As one of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, WCU also falls under the administration of the UNC system president and the Board of Governors, advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly. As Provost, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs serves as the top administrator for academics and as the senior member of the Chancellor’s Executive Council: WESTERN CAROLINA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Dr. Kelli R. Brown, Chancellor Dr. Richard Starnes, Provost / Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Mr. Mike Byers, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Mr. Chris Williams, Chief Information Officer Mr. Ben Pendry, Vice Chancellor for Advancement Dr. Sam Miller, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Mr. Shea Browning, General Counsel Mr. Kyle Pifer, Director of Athletics Dr. Melissa Wargo, Chief of Staff & Chief External Affairs Officer Dr. William Moultrie, Vice Chancellor of Enrollment & Student Success Ms. Jessica Woods, Assistant to the Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, Ph.D., is the 12th Chancellor of WCU and the first permanent woman chancellor. She previously served as provost and senior VP for academic affairs at Georgia College & State University. Chancellor Brown earned her doctorate in education from Southern Illinois University. She serves on numerous boards. Throughout her time at Western Carolina, Chancellor Brown has spearheaded several major capital projects on campus. In 2021, the state-of-the art, Apodaca Science Building, was completed to replace the university’s 1970-era Natural Science Building. The following year in 2022, “The Rocks”, a collection of three freshman residence halls were opened with an emphasis on building student community. Later that year, WCU completed its new energy production facility, replacing the campus’ century-old steam plant. Additionally, she has overseen the implementation of the highly successful NC Promise tuition reduction program and the innovative Catamount Commitment financial aid program. Each program has had a tangible impact on the reduction of student debt.

Under her leadership, Western Carolina University officially kicked off the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s history, an effort to secure $100 million in philanthropic support with a focus on increasing the financial resources necessary for long-delayed upgrades in facilities used by Catamount student-athletes. The "Fill the Western Sky" comprehensive fundraising campaign initially kicked off in 2019 shortly after Chancellor Brown’s arrival prioritizing seeking philanthropic support for enhancements to the overall student experience, including academics, athletics, and community and global engagement. In October 2025 the campaign surpassed its recordbreaking goal, bringing in the funding to complete the much-needed renovations to the EJ Whitmire Stadium, specifically the west side stands. The “Western Skybox” project broke ground in June 2025 and feature a new press box and media center, coaches’ offices, player study and collaboration space and a Chancellor's Club hospitality space. The project was completed in summer 2026. Under Brown's guidance, projections are pointing to what may be the largest incoming freshman class and possibly the highest overall enrollment in the university’s 137-year history. WCU's largest freshman class of 2,186 was recorded in fall of 2018, but this August the class could

exceed 2,400 first-time, full-time students. The anticipated growth comes less than two years after the university experienced an enrollment decline in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, making the rebound all the more significant as the region continues to recover economically. As Chancellor she has highlighted several priorities: an institutional emphasis on quality and excellence; a commitment to student success; and a focus on the University’s role as an engine of economic development for its communities. WCU continues to capitalize on the opportunity to be a thought leader regarding how regionally engaged universities can maintain a student-centered focus, with high levels of teaching innovation. Brown's distinguished career includes teaching at the University of South Florida and the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she served as the Dean of the Graduate School and Associate dean for Academic Affairs, respectively. She was the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Georgia College and State University. Brown came to Cullowhee after serving as the Interim President at Valdosta State University. A three-time graduate of the University of Toledo and earning her doctorate at Southern Illinois, Carbondale, Chancellor Brown is originally from the Midwest, and she and her husband of 37 years, Dennis, live in Cullowhee.

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2026 CATAMOUNT CHEERLEADERS

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WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2026-27 WCU DANCE TEAM

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WESTERN CAROLINA’S POSTSEASON TEAMS

• 1949 •

North State Conference Champions Western Carolina had struggled through its first 15 seasons of football with only two winning seasons in two decades, but all that frustration was forgotten in 1949 when Coach Tom Young completed a four-year, post-World War II building program with an 8-2 regular season and the school’s first North State Conference championship and first postseason appearance. The Cats, led by a stingy defense, won its first five games and allowed only two touchdowns in those victories. The only blemishes on the season were non-conference losses to Maryville (20-13) and Emory & Henry (27-26) as Western finished unbeaten in conference play. The team was rewarded by a bid to play in the Smoky Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Va., where the Cats lost to West Liberty State. Art Byrd, a 165-pound guard, was named to the Associated Press Little All-America Team, Western’s first AllAmerica selection. Linemen Buffalo Humphries and Hugh Constance along with backs Hugh “Pee Wee” Hamilton and Ralph McConnell joined Byrd on the All-North State Conference Team.

ART BYRD, a 165-pound two-way guard for the 1949 North State Conference championship team, was Western Carolina’s first All-America selection.

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• 1974 •

NCAA Division II Playoffs Coach Bob Waters, who saw a perfect season and a trip to the NAIA playoffs denied by a loss in the final game of the 1969 season, led WCU to its first NCAA postseason appearance the hard way five years later. The 1974 Catamounts, playing in a sparkling new stadium, lost their season and stadium opener to visiting Murray State and struggled the next two weeks before establishing themselves as one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II teams. After the season-opening loss, The Cats continued to struggle offensively for the next two weeks but did manage wins over Tennessee Tech (9-7) and Appalachian State (21-14) with outstanding defense. The offense, behind the running of freshman Darrell Lipford and passing of quarterback Jeff Walker to Jerry Gaines and Eagle Moss, found the right gear and the defense continued its great play. In the process, the Catamounts won nine in a row—including victories over top 10 teams Indiana State and Western Kentucky—and won a bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs where they lost a heartbreaker to No. 1 ranked Louisiana Tech, 10-7. The 1974 Catamounts finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press College Division poll and their defense established team records that still stand to this day. Most significant was allowing a mere NINE total touchdowns on the season (eight rushing and one passing) and only three over the last six games. WCU held four opponents out of the endzone and intercepted a combined 21 passes. JERRY GAINES and linebacker STEVE YATES were first-team All-America selections.

Linebacker STEVE YATES was leader and first team All-American on the 1974 team, which was WCU’s first to reach the NCAA playoffs, doing so at the NCAA Division II level.

• 1983 •

NCAA Division I-AA National Finalist Like the 1974 team, the 1983 Catamounts got off to a slow start by losing its first two games to Clemson and Wake Forest. After the two setbacks, WCU would go through the next 12 Saturdays unbeaten en route to the NCAA Division I-AA championship game – the first by a Southern Conference school. The winning streak started in the third week of the season when WCU rallied from a 10-point deficit in the closing two minutes to defeat East Tennessee State, 17-16, and ended with a loss to Southern Illinois in the national championship game in Charleston, S.C. Despite the strong comeback in regular season play that produced an 8-2-1 record and No. 9 national ranking, Waters’ Cats barely made it into the I-AA playoffs. They proved their worthiness the next three weeks with comefrom-behind, heart-stopping wins over Colgate (24-23), Holy Cross (28-21) and Furman (14-7). The win over Furman was particularly pleasing as the teams had tied, 17-17, in the regular season, and allowed the Paladins to win the SoCon title as they had played and won one more league game due to a scheduling quirk. Over 5,000 WCU fans traveled to Greenville, S.C., for the rematch which was aired by CBS-TV. On the 1983 team, WCU had EIGHT players named AllSoCon with head coach Bob Waters named Coach of the Year. Wide receiver ERIC RASHEED and defensive back TIGER GREENE selected All-America. Seven members of the ‘83 squad went on to play in the NFL and the team set an NCAA record for the most games played (15) in a season.

The 1983 Catamounts advanced to the NCAA I-AA championship game after its 14-7 upset at Furman. WCU was the first Southern Conference team to play for the national title.

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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE The Southern Conference, which celebrates its 105th year in 2026, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and in helping to build lifelong leaders and role models. The Southern Conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first postseason college basketball tournament (1921), to tackling the issue of freshman eligibility (1922), to developing women's championships (1984), to becoming the first conference to install the 3-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer. The Southern Conference is the nation's fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association. Only the Big Ten (1896), the Missouri Valley (1907), the Pac-12 (1915) and the Southwestern Athletic (1920) conferences are older in terms of origination. Academic excellence has been a major part of the Southern Conference's tradition. Hundreds of Southern Conference student-athletes have been recognized on CoSIDA Academic All-America and all-district teams. A total of 20 Rhodes Scholarship winners have been selected from conference institutions, most recently in 2012-13, when former Wofford volleyball player Rachel Woodlee earned the prestigious award. The conference currently consists of 11 full-time members in six states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 20 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships. The Southern Conference offices are located in the historic Beaumont Mill in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A textile mill that was in operation from 1880 until 1999, Beaumont Mill was renovated in 2004 and today offers the league first-class meeting areas and offices as well as a spacious library for storage of the conference's historical documents. SOUTHERN CONFERENCE – MEMBERSHIP HISTORY On Feb. 25, 1921, representatives from 14 of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association's (SIAA) 30 members met at Atlanta's Piedmont Hotel to establish the Southern Intercollegiate Conference. On hand at the inaugural meeting were officials from Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn), Clemson, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology (Georgia Tech), Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and Washington & Lee. Dr. S.V. Sanford of Georgia was chosen as acting chairman and N.W. Dougherty of Tennessee was named secretary. The decision to form a new athletic conference was motivated by the desire to have a workable number of conference games for each league member. With 30 schools in the SIAA by the early 1920s, it was impossible to play every school at least once during the regular season and many schools went several years between playing some conference members. In addition, in 1920, the SIAA voted down proposed rules that an athlete must be in a college a year before playing on its teams and refused to abolish a rule permitting athletes to play summer baseball for money. Play began in the fall of 1921, and a year later, six more schools joined the fledgling league, including Tulane (which had attended the inaugural meeting but had elected not to join), Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. VMI joined in 1923 and Duke was added in 1929. By the 1930s, membership in the Southern Conference had reached 23 schools. C.P. “Sally” Miles of Virginia Tech, president of the Southern Conference, called the annual

2026 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL STANDINGS C/S

Team

SOCON Pct Pts Opp

20 / 18 ETSU 3 0 1.000 11 / 12 Tennessee Tech 3 1 .750 13 / 17 Mercer 3 1 .750 - / - Chattanooga 3 1 .750 RV / RV Wofford 2 2 .500 - / - WESTERN CAROLINA 1 2 .333 - / - Furman 1 2 .333 - / - Samford 1 3 .250 - / - VMI 0 2 .000 - / - The Citadel 0 3 .000

league meeting to order on Dec. 9, 1932, at the Farragut Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. There, it announced that 13 institutions west and south of the Appalachian Mountains were reorganizing as the Southeastern Conference. Members of the new league included Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Florida, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mississippi A&M, University of the South, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt. According to the minutes of the meeting, Georgia’s Dr. Sanford stated that the division was made along geographical lines. Florida’s Dr. J.J. Tigert, acting as spokesman for the withdrawing group, regretted the move but believed it was necessary as the Southern Conference had grown too large. The resignations were accepted and the withdrawing schools formed the new league, which began play in 1933. The SoCon continued with membership of 10 institutions, including Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Virginia, VMI, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee. The second major shift occurred some 20 years later. By 1952, the Southern Conference included 17 colleges and universities. Another split occurred when seven schools – Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest – departed to form the Atlantic Coast Conference, which began play in 1953. The revamped Southern Conference included members The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, George Washington, Richmond, VMI, Virginia Tech, Washington & Lee, West Virginia and William & Mary. A third major shift occurred in 2012-13, when five members announced their departures and three schools were added. College of Charleston announced its decision to leave for the Colonial Athletic Association following the 2012-13 season, while Appalachian State (Sun Belt), Davidson (Atlantic 10), Elon (Colonial) and Georgia Southern (Sun Belt) announced they would depart following the 2013-14 campaign. At the Southern Conference’s 2013 spring meetings in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the league officially extended invitations to former members ETSU and VMI, as well as Mercer, to join the league for the 2014-15 academic year. In the summer of 2025, the SoCon announced the addition of Tennessee Tech, with the Golden Eagles joining as a full member in the summer of 2026, bringing the league's active full-time membership to 11 schools and a footprint that spans six states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Current league members are Chattanooga, The Citadel, ETSU, Furman, Mercer, UNCG, Samford, Tennessee Tech, VMI, Western Carolina and Wofford.

106 127 115 90 176 89 60 88 24 38

50 116 58 32 136 95 65 102 140 103

W 5 6 6 4 4 3 2 1 0 2

L 2 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 5

OVERALL Pct Pts Opp .714 .800 .750 .571 .571 .429 .286 .143 .000 .250

229 238 245 140 208 221 115 130 64 135

175 159 137 88 185 220 157 96 292 242

C – FCS Coaches Poll; S – STATS Perform FCS Top 25 Poll;

NOTING SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL u The he Southern Conference has also excelled as one of the premier Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference. Former SoCon member Appalachian State won the three consecutive FCS titles from 2005-07, becoming the first team to do so. u

The he league boasts more than 250 players who have garnered All-America recognition and numerous national player or coach of the year awards. The conference had at least one team in the top 10 of the final FCS poll for 28 consecutive years (1985-2012), with at least two teams finishing in the final poll in every season from 1982-2013. Mercer and VMI entered the FCS national rankings for the first time in program history in 2020-21, with the Keydets winning the league title for the first time since 1977 and making their firstever appearance in the FCS playoffs. ETSU won its first outright SoCon title in 2021, earning the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs and finishing inside the top 10 in the national rankings. In 2020-21, VMI coach Scott Wachenheim became the Southern Conference’s fifth winner of the Eddie Robinson Award, joining The Citadel’s Charlie Taaffe (1992), Georgia Southern’s Paul Johnson (1998), Wofford’s Mike Ayers (2003) and App State’s Moore (2006). In 1999, Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson captured the Walter Payton Award. A four-time All-American who finished his career as the NCAA Division I leader in rushing yards with 6,559, Peterson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2017. Furman’s Louis Ivory earned the Walter Payton Award in 2000, giving the SoCon consecutive winners, while Georgia Southern’s Jayson Foster was presented with the 2007 trophy and Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards became the first two-time winner in Payton Award history, claiming the honors in 2008 and 2009 to make it three consecutive. SUPER SoCon: Western Carolina’s David Patten and Appalachian State’s Matt Stevens were both members of the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl champion team in 2002 and Patten also earned Super Bowl rings with the Patriots in 2004 and ’05. Appalachian State’s Daniel Kilgore appeared in Super Bowl XLVII for the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LV squad in 2021. Chattanooga’s Keionta Davis was a member of the Patriots’ organization for New England’s appearance in Super Bowl LII in 2018, while Davis and Western Carolina’s Keion Crossen were teammates for the Super Bowl LIIIwinning Patriots in 2019. Former Samford safety Jaquiski Tartt played in Super Bowl LIV for the 49ers in 2020. Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 87

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2026 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL COMPOSITE SCHEDULE Thursday, Aug. 27

FURMAN 20, Anderson (SC) 3 Chattanooga 24, WEST GEORGIA 10

Saturday, Aug. 29

WOFFORD 42, The Citadel 14 * Campbell 49, ETSU 37 IDAHO STATE 38, VMI 10 TENNESSEE TECH 38, Monmouth 14 WESTERN CAROLINA 45, Eastern Kentucky 21 NORTH ALABAMA 22, Samford 10 MERCER 23, East Texas A&M 15

Thursday, Sept. 3

Southern Illinois 22, SAMFORD 18

Saturday, Sept. 5

TENNESSEE 56, Furman 9 WOFFORD 17, Gardner-Webb 13 The Citadel 43, CHARLOTTE 41 (3OT) ETSU 48, Tusculum 14 MERCER 62, Presbyterian 3 Tennessee Tech 24, CHATTANOOGA 9 VIRGINIA TECH 73, VMI 3

Sunday, Sept. 6

CAMPBELL 28, Western Carolina 19

Saturday, Sept. 12

Furman 20, MERCER 13 * TENNESSEE TECH 45, Samford 19 * NORTH CAROLINA 35, ETSU 3 KENT STATE 36, Wofford 15 Bucknell 14, VMI 3 EASTERN KENTUCKY 22, Chattanooga 17 Charleston Southern 26, THE CITADEL 20 (2OT) CINCINNATI 62, Western Carolina 10

Saturday, Sept. 19

ETSU 35, West Georgia 27 GEORGIA TECH 44, Merecer 11 DAVIDSON 27, VMI 24 (OT) WESTERN CAROLINA 58, Presbyterian 14 CHATTANOOGA 41, Wofford 7 * South Carolina State 20, FURMAN 17

Saturday, Sept. 26

Tennessee Tech 42, WOFFORD 38 * Chattanooga 27, THE CITADEL 8 * Furman 9, RICHMOND 13 SAMFORD 45, VMI 7 * ETSU 58, Western Carolina 31 * MERCER 34, Abilene Christian 17

Saturday, Oct. 3

Mercer 54, VMI 3 * Wofford 32, FURMAN 25 * The Citadel 34, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 31 UAB 33, SAMFORD 14 ETSU 14, Chattanooga 3 * WESTERN CAROLINA 33, Tennessee Tech 20 *

88 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

Saturday, Oct. 10

ETSU 34, THE CITADEL 16 * CHATTANOOGA 19, Samford 3 * Wofford 16, ELON 0 MERCER 17, Western Carolina 14 * TENNESSEE TECH 20, Furman 15 *

Saturday, Oct. 17

TEXAS A&M 41, The Citadel 0 WOFFORD 41, VMI 14 * TENNESSEE TECH 49, Eastern Kentucky 20 Mercer 31, SAMFORD 21 *

Saturday, Oct. 24

ETSU at VMI * Tennessee Tech at The Citadel * Samford at Furman * Chattanooga at Western Carolina *

Lexington, Va. Charleston, S.C. Greenville, S.C. Cullowhee

Saturday, Oct. 31

VMI at Chattanooga * Western Carolina at Furman * The Citadel at Mercer * Tennessee Tech at ETSU * Wofford at Samford *

Chattanooga, Tenn. Greenville, S.C. Macon, Ga. Johnson City, Tenn. Birmingham, Ala.

Saturday, Nov. 7

Samford at ETSU * Mercer at Chattanooga * Wofford at Western Carolina * Furman at The Citadel * VMI at Tennessee Tech *

Johnson City, Tenn. Chattanooga, Tenn. Cullowhee Charleston, S.C. Cookeville, Tenn.

Saturday, Nov. 14

Chattanooga at Furman * ETSU at Wofford * Mercer at Tennessee Tech * Western Carolina at Samford * The Citadel at VMI *

Greenville, S.C. Spartanburg, S.C. Cookeville, Tenn. Birmingham, Ala. Lexington, Va.

Saturday, Nov. 21

Furman at VMI * Wofford at Ole Miss The Citadel at Western Carolina * Tennessee Tech at Mississippi State Chattanooga at Alabama ETSU at Mercer * Samford at Auburn

Lexington, Va. Oxford, Miss. Cullowhee Starkville, Miss. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Macon, Ga. Auburn, Ala.

1:30 pm ESPN+ 2 pm ESPN+ 2 pm ESPN+ 2:30 pm Nexstar/E+

1 pm ESPN+ 2 pm Nexstar/E+ 3 pm ESPN+ 3:30 pm ESPN+ 7 pm ESPN+

1 pm ESPN+ 1 pm ESPN+ 1 pm Nexstar/E+ 2 pm ESPN+ 2:30 pm ESPN+

1 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm 12 pm

ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+

12 pm 12 pm 1 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 3:30 pm

ESPN+ SECN+ ESPN+ TBA SECN+ ESPN+ SECN+

– All times listed are EASTERN | * – Denotes a Southern Conference game In the results, ALL CAPS represents the home team

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Official Football Signals

Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA | 89

E.J. WHITMIRE STADIUM / BOB WATERS FIELD

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ALL-TIME TOP WHITMIRE STADIUM ATTENDANCE FIGURES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

vs. #12 Appalachian State......... 1994................ 15,247 vs. Appalachian State................ 2004................ 14,714 vs. #10/12 Mercer...................... 2025................14,510 vs. #2 Appalachian State........... 2008................14,213 vs. #1 Appalachian State........... 2010................14,004 vs. Appalachian State................ 1983................13,924 vs. #2 Appalachian State........... 1998................ 13,785 vs. Furman................................. 1978.................13,778 vs. #1 Appalachian State........... 2006............... 13,742 VS. EASTERN KENTUCKY........2026............ 13,482 vs. #20 Georgia Southern......... 1987................13,460 vs. Charleston Southern............ 2023............... 13,357 vs. The Citadel........................... 2014................13,323 vs. Appalachian State................ 2012................ 13,279 vs. #3 Furman............................ 1989................ 13,227 vs. #7 Appalachian State........... 1989..................13,118 vs. VMI....................................... 2024...............13,022 vs. #6 The Citadel..................... 1992.................12,818 vs. VMI....................................... 2018................ 12,759 vs. Furman................................. 1985................12,635 vs. Campbell.............................. 2024...............12,506 vs. #3 Furman............................ 1991.................12,445 vs. #7 Samford.......................... 2023................12,410 vs. Mars Hill............................... 2015................12,348 vs. #9 The Citadel..................... 2016................12,283

Completed in 1974 at a cost of $1.66 million through funding provided by the North Carolina General Assembly, E.J. WHITMIRE STADIUM has served as the home of Catamount Football for more than five decades. WCU celebrated the 50th anniversary of the facility in 2024. Located on the southern end of the Western Carolina University campus, the facility replaced Memorial Stadium, which was located in the middle of the WCU campus near the current site of the Hunter Library, and opened alongside the construction of the Jordan-Phillips Field House. Dedicated on Oct. 5, 1974, Whitmire Stadium hosted a 31-12 Catamount victory over Morehead State in its second game. The inaugural season proved memorable as Western Carolina won nine consecutive games and advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs behind one of the finest defensive units in program history. Throughout its tenure, Whitmire Stadium has been the site of many of the most memorable victories in Catamount Football history. Among those were wins over nationally ranked opponents including No. 2 Marshall in 1992, No. 6 Appalachian State in 1998, and No. 2 Furman in 2005. The dramatic victories over Appalachian State in 1998 and 2004 sparked memorable celebrations as Catamount fans carried the goalposts from the stadium following the reclamation of the Old Mountain Jug. The facility has also hosted numerous regional and national television broadcasts over the years. Among the earliest was ABC's coverage of Western Carolina and Appalachian State in 1978. Since then, Whitmire Stadium has welcomed broadcasts from ESPN platforms, SportSouth, CSS, WLOS-TV, WMYA-TV, WYCW-TV, and the Southern Conference's various game-ofthe-week television and digital partners. Today, Whitmire Stadium seats 14,000 spectators and is situated in one of the most scenic settings in college football. The venue is bordered by Cullowhee Creek to the west, the Jordan-Phillips Field House to the north, and the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center to the south. The Ramsey Center also serves as home to the Dale and Diane Hollifield Football Locker Room, sports medicine facilities, and additional football support spaces.

90 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED: June, 1974 WEST STANDS COMPLETED: August, 2003 WESTERN SKYBOX: August, 2026 CURRENT CAPACITY: 14,000 PLAYING SURFACE: Bob Waters Field | Artificial (TenCate Pivot) FIRST GAME: Sept. 14, 1974 vs. Murray State (WCU lost 10-3) DEDICATED: Oct. 5, 1974 vs. Morehead State (WCU won 31-12) LARGEST ATTENDANCE: Nov. 12, 1994 15,247 vs. Appalachian State Continuing its evolution, Whitmire Stadium received another major enhancement in 2026 with the opening of the Phillips Football Center, highlighted by the Crawford Football Operations Suite that houses the coaches offices, the Steve White Media Center, and the Chancellor's Club level, further modernizing the historic facility while elevating the game-day experience for Catamount student-athletes, alumni, and fans.

BOB WATERS FIELD AND FACILITY ENHANCEMENTS Western Carolina installed AstroTurf when Whitmire Stadium opened in 1974, marking the beginning of a long history of investment in its playing surface. Following several upgrades over the years, AstroPlay was installed in 2000 as part of a $1.2 million renovation. In 2008, the field was replaced with Desso Challenge Pro 2 turf before another significant transformation in 2020. Designed by Woolpert, Inc. and installed by GeoSurfaces Southeast, the project included the installation of IronTurf over a shock pad, improvements to the field perimeter, and the addition of the synthetic-turf "Hog Pit" practice area. Facility improvements have continued throughout the stadium's history. In 2002, a $93,000 team room featuring meeting space, offices, and storage was completed in the Ramsey Center. Prior to the 2003 season, a $3.1 million expansion added a 4,000-seat west-side grandstand complete with concessions, restrooms, and upgraded stadium lighting. Additional projects expanded the Jordan-Phillips Field House weight room, created new meeting spaces, enhanced visiting team accommodations, and added brick facades that visually connected the football complex with the Ramsey Center. In 2006, the Dale and Diane Hollifield Football Locker Room was formally dedicated following a $225,000 renovation and expansion. Four years later, Whitmire Stadium unveiled its first true HD video board with the installation of a Daktronics scoreboard in the south end zone. The most recent upgrades came in 2026 and included a new synthetic playing surface, enhancements to the stadium's videoboard system, and the addition of a ribbon board along the facade of the Jordan-Phillips Field House

BOB WATERS

E.J. WHITMIRE

STADIUM BENEFACTORS AND NAMESAKES Western Carolina's football facilities honor two of the most influential figures in Catamount Athletics history, both with tremendous ties to WCU Football. The stadium bears the name of the late E.J. WHITMIRE of Franklin, N.C., whose impact on Western Carolina University spanned more than two decades. An educator, contractor, agriculturalist, and public servant, Whitmire served on the WCU Board of Trustees from 1949 to 1972 and played a pivotal role in the University's period of unprecedented growth. His tireless work served as a cornerstone of the structure that continues to bear his name. Widely recognized for his leadership and dedication, Whitmire's construction company prepared much of the stadium site at no cost to the University. In recognition of his service, he received the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame Patron Award in 1993. The playing surface was dedicated as Bob Waters Field in 1988 in honor of ROBERT LEE "BOB" WATERS, who was one of the most influential individuals in Western Carolina athletics history. Waters served as the University's head football coach for 20 seasons and as athletics director for 15 years. He remains one of the most successful coaches in program history, compiling 116 victories, 13 winning seasons, and top-10 national finishes at the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I-AA (now NCAA FCS) levels. His teams produced 13 All-Americans and 36 All-Southern Conference selections. As athletics director, Waters guided Western Carolina's transition from NAIA competition through Division II and into NCAA Division I while overseeing the University's entrance into the Southern Conference in 1976. He was also instrumental in the planning and construction of Whitmire Stadium, Childress Field, and the Ramsey Center. Following a courageous six-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Waters passed away on May 29, 1989. He was posthumously inducted into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.

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WESTERN CAROLINA – HONORED FOOTBALL NUMBERS #14 • KIRK ROACH – (1984-87) Kirk Roach was Western Carolina’s – and the

#23 • JERRY GAINES (1970-75) Jerry Gaines was an Associated Press and

14 23

Southern Conference’s – first, three-time All-America Selection (1984, 1986 and 1987) ... He additionally

was the first player in league history to be a four-

time, first team All-SoCon selection (1984-87), an

accomplishment which has since been duplicated just three other times ... Continues to rank as Western

Carolina’s all-time scoring leader with 302 points ...

He connected on 71-of-101 (70.3-percent) field goals

in his career and only missed one extra point, making 89-of-90 (98.9-percent) .... Roach also still holds the

American Football Coaches Association All-America selection in 1974 ... Also earned All-America honors

in baseball and track & field while at WCU ... He set Western Carolina records with 3,449 career receiving yards, a average of 20.6 yards per reception

for his career and finished 15 games with over 100

receiving yards ... Only the second Western Carolina University football player to have his jersey retired. Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.

distinction of being the highest Catamount taken in

the NFL draft, selected in the fifth round overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1987 ... Was listed on the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame divisional ballot.

Inducted into the WCU Hall of Fame in 1996; his jersey

was honored at WCU in 2006 and he was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2021.

14 KIRK ROACH

23 JERRY GAINES

#41 • BRAD HOOVER (1996-99)

#54 • ART BYRD (1946-49)

Brad Hoover starred at tailback for the Catamounts Art Byrd was the first football All-America selecfrom 1996-99 before playing 10 seasons for the tion at Western Carolina, playing guard on both the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. offensive and defensive side of the ball ... Helped Affectionally known as "Hoov," Hoover ranks third in the Catamounts to an 8-2 regular-season mark in Western Carolina football history with 3,616 career 1949 and their first North State Conference title ... rushing yards. His career tally includes a WCU single-season record of 1,663 rushing yards in 1998 That team additionally holds the distinction of being which came on a single-season best 331 carries. WCU’s first team to earn a postseason bid, playing in Hoover's 708 career rushes additionally rank him the Smoky Mountain Bowl (Bristol, Va.) ... third in program history, finishing fourth with a 5.10 Art Byrd was the first career rushing average and tied for eighth with 23 Western Carolina University student-athlete to have scores on the ground. During his record-setting a jersey and a number retired. 1998 season, Hoover keyed an upset of archrival Appalachian State by rushing for 195 yards on a Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics school single-game record 49 carries. WCU upended Hall of Fame in 1990. the second-ranked Mountaineers 23-6 in Cullowhee, returning the "Old Mountain Jug" to Cullowhee. Hoover was a 2008 inductee into Western Carolina's Athletics Hall of Fame and a two-time All-SoCon selection at running back.

41 54

41 BRAD HOOVER 92 | Homecoming 2026 – vs. CHATTANOOGA

ART BYRD

HISTORY OF THE VICTORY BELL Western Carolina continues a tradition resumed in 2009, returning the “Victory Bell” – a mounted, transportable bell that rings the football team’s arrival for pre-game and also accompanies the “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band and the Catamount Cheerleaders in their pregame parades to E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. Whereas the bell is a relatively new tradition, it is actually the re-birth of an old tradition on the WCU campus as is noted on the plaque which adorns the Alumni Bell Tower, the centerpiece in the quad. The tower houses the original “Victory Bell,” which hung in the old Madison Hall from 1904 until 1938 and was run to signal class periods. After the building was torn down, the bell was mounted on a stone base between the Moore and former Joyner Building – which was destroyed by fire – and was rung in celebration of Catamount athletic victories. The bell was later moved closer to the Old Student Union building before making its last active move in the late 1960s to the lawn of the Hinds University Center. The bell and its traveling apparatus were designed and constructed by Mr. Ron Bumgarner, an assistant professor of engineering technology at Western Carolina, and several students in his class.

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