MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team concluded competition at the outdoor season-opening 49er Classic, in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday.
 
The Mountaineers earned three top-five finishes on the final day of the two-day meet at the Belk Irwin Track and Field Center, highlighted by redshirt senior Shamoya McNeil's win in the women's triple jump. McNeil, who was in action for the first time since the 2017-18 indoor season, earned a mark of 12.74 meters (41 feet, 9.75 inches) in the victory.
 
In all, WVU competed in five events on Saturday.
 
"It's nice to have Shamoya back in a uniform, and we're excited to see where this can lead her," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "Hopefully, this performance bodes well for the future."
 
Along with McNeil, redshirt junior Faith Penny tied for second place in the women's high jump invite, earning a mark of 1.68 meters (5 feet, 6 inches). On the track, redshirt junior Candace Jones took fourth place in the women's 3,000 meters with a time of 10:02.38.
 
"After today, the hope is that it puts Faith in the frame of mind that has her believing she can qualify for the NCAA Regional this spring," Cleary said. "It's exciting to see her gain some momentum after the indoor season."
 
Freshman Linda Jebet began the day with a 29th-place finish in the women's 800 meters in 2:22.84. From there, redshirt senior Bria Welker placed 20th in the women's 200 meters. She crossed the line in 25.41, ahead of freshman Margaret Rymer, who finished 63rd with a time of 26.53.
 
Additionally, redshirt junior Andrea Pettit competed in the women's 3,000 meters with Jones, placing 32nd in 10:08.53.
 
The Mountaineers, who have now opened their outdoor season in Charlotte for three consecutive years, earned a total of eight top-10 finishes on the weekend.
 
On Friday, redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson won the women's 1,500 meters in 4:23.15, while Welker took fourth in the women's 400 meters in 56.50. Redshirt sophomore Antigone Archer added a 10th-place finish in the women's 5,000-meter invite in 17:44.70.
 
"I think Hayley's performance in the 1,500 was a real highlight for us," Cleary said. "While no one knows what will be required to qualify for the NCAA Regional, her time this weekend would've qualified for as far back as I can remember. That was a really nice opener for her. As for Bria, she finished the winter running very, very strong running over 400 meters. The conditions for the 400 were among the worst we faced all weekend, so I'm really happy with the way she got her outdoor season started."
 
In the field, freshman Julia Brundin finished second in the women's pole vault (unseeded) with a mark of 3.20 meters (10 feet, 6 inches) on Friday, while sophomore Mikayla Shute tied for ninth in the women's pole vault invite with a mark of 3.25 meters (10 feet, 8 inches).
 
WVU was one of more than 50 schools competing at the 49er Classic this weekend.
 
Next up, the Mountaineers return home to host the West Virginia Open on Saturday, March 23, at the Track and Field Complex at Mylan Park. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET, and it marks WVU's first home meet at the new facility.
 
"Opening in Charlotte was beneficial for us to knock off some cobwebs, so we can come home and, hopefully, improve on these marks next week," Cleary added. "The excitement level to sleep in our own beds and drive up to our facility is something no one in this program has experienced. With that comes a great appreciation for what we have and an excitement for what we can do at home."
 
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