News

Western Carolina University is naming its softball field in honor of the late Betty Peele, leader of a core group of female faculty members who guided the early development of women’s intercollegiate athletics at the university.

Behind each stroke on Sadler Miller’s canvas is a moment ingrained in her memory. Every swipe is a chime from the Alumni Tower hitting her ears, and every trace is the rush of a gameday at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

There aren’t a lot of Division I arenas in America where the gym is still rattling with the home team up by 51 on a D-III school. Inside the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center, Drew Hollifield commanded a presence that did just that in October.

Former Catamount football player and two-time Academic All-American Mike Wade leads a growing list of Western Carolina University alumni and friends adding their support to an initiative to name the university's new football stadium media center in honor of a legendary sports information director.

Longtime Western Carolina University supporters and friends have come together to honor the legacy and dedication of the university’s former sports information director, Steve White, a man many affectionately refer to as “the walking encyclopedia of Catamount athletics.”

Three former members of the Western Carolina University women’s basketball team stepped up to the line to tip off the process of raising enough philanthropic support to name the current Catamount squad’s locker room after the founder of the program.

Amenemhet Ashenafi uncrinkled the packaging his son’s king chess piece came in just before dropping him off at college. He looked at the new family heirloom, turned to his son and started reciting the speech he had in mind when this moment would come.

Earlier this month, Western Carolina University Athletics welcomed more than 1,000 Jackson County Public Schools students to campus for its annual Education Days basketball games—bringing early holiday cheer and an unforgettable afternoon of hoops.

Much like the holiday season, the annual GivingTuesday national day of philanthropy is fast approaching, and the folks at Western Carolina University will be seeking financial support for Catamount student-athletes and for excellence endowments that provide enhanced academic and extracurricular experiences for all students.

A long-awaited $37 million upgrade to renovate the west side stands of Western Carolina University’s aging E.J. Whitmire Stadium is now underway with an official groundbreaking ceremony held Thursday, June 12, in the shadows of the construction zone.