MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — April 29, 2025 — The West Virginia Wesleyan women's track and field team delivered a series of standout performances at the 2025 Mountain East Conference Outdoor Championships, finishing second overall in the team standings with 137 points. The Bobcats were led by senior Samantha Cash, who was named Most Valuable Performer of the meet, contributing across a range of events with podium finishes and points.

Individual Event Highlights for WVWC Women

• Sprints & Hurdles:
  • Ayanna Woods scored in the 100m dash with an 8th place finish (12.54).
  • A dominant showing in the 100m Hurdles saw Jorden Golden place 2nd (14.90) and Samantha Cash 5th, with Ayanna Woods again scoring in 8th.
  • In the 400m Hurdles, Wesleyan swept the top: Cash won the event (1:02.76), followed closely by Golden (2nd, 1:02.81) and Marimo Akita (5th), contributing a critical point haul of 22 total.
• Mid- and Long-Distance Events:
  • Dakota Johnson earned 2nd in the 800m (2:15.73), good for All-MEC Second Team.
  • Lindsey Dillon was a consistent scorer: 9th in the 1500m, 2nd in the 3000m Steeplechase (11:20.65), and 9th in the 5000m (19:24.14).
  • Leigha Hall claimed gold in both distance events: 1st in the 3000m Steeplechase (11:01.46) and 1st in the 5000m (17:40.40), earning two First Team All-MEC honors.
  • Taylor Hess and Hall also placed 4th and 5th, respectively, in the 10,000m.
• Relays:
  • The 4x100m relay team (Pancoast, Veltri, Stamat, Akita) placed 8th (50.97).
  • The 4x400m relay team (Pancoast, Akita, Headley, Johnson) placed 5th (4:03.36), earning valuable team points.

Field Event Standouts

• Vertical Jumps:
  • Samantha Cash was again a force in the High Jump, placing 3rd (1.60m), and earning Honorable Mention All-MEC.
  • Jessica Williams added an 8th place finish in the same event.
  • In the Pole Vault, WVWC had a deep showing led by Abby McDonough (3rd), Clover Stamat (4th), and Marimo Akita (6th) — combining for 14 points and Honorable Mention All-MEC for McDonough.
• Horizontal Jumps:
  • Cash earned 2nd in the Triple Jump (11.74m) for Second Team All-MEC, and placed 10th in Long Jump.
• Throws:
  • Mallory McGinnis scored in both Shot Put (4th, 12.38m) and Discus (5th, 36.17m).
  • Bailee Einspahr (7th, 30.08m) and Cliodhna Collins (12th) added Javelin points.

Heptathlon Powerhouse Performance

• Samantha Cash finished 2nd overall in the Heptathlon with 4,620 points, earning Second Team All-MEC honors. She placed in the top three in five of the seven events, including winning the 800m (2:19.72) and placing 2nd in High Jump (1.62m).
• Marimo Akita also contributed with an 8th-place finish (3,341 points), helping boost Wesleyan's team total.

All-MEC Honors for WVWC Women

• Most Valuable Performer: Samantha Cash
• First Team All-MEC:
  • Samantha Cash – 400m Hurdles
  • Leigha Hall – 3000m Steeplechase, 5000m
• Second Team All-MEC:
  • Samantha Cash – Heptathlon
  • Dakota Johnson – 800m
  • Jorden Golden – 100m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles
  • Lindsey Dillon – 3000m Steeplechase
  • Abby McDonough – Pole Vault
• Honorable Mention All-MEC:
  • Samantha Cash – High Jump, Triple Jump
  • Ayanna Woods – 100m, 100m Hurdles
  • Samantha Cash – Long Jump
  • Mallory McGinnis – Shot Put