Darius Fudge (#7) and Kevin McAlmont (#62), along with center Linden Ryan and backs Nicholas Wishart and Lamont Reid, will be central figures in

Transcription

1 Darius Fudge (#7) and Kevin McAlmont (#62), along with center Linden Ryan and backs Nicholas Wishart and Lamont Reid, will be central figures in Western s rushing attack. 21

2 #88 SHAMAR ALLEN 6-3, 250, So. Tight End Asheville, N.C. A.C. Reynolds HS #34 GARRET BAKER 5-10, 175, Jr. Running Back Robersonville, N.C. Roanoke HS 22 Member of the 2004 Southern Conference Indoor Championship squad, participating in the shot put... Participated in the shot put and discus during the 2004 outdoor season, placing eighth in the shot at the SoCon Championships (40 5 ) (RFr.): Played in all 11 contest as both a tight end and member of the special teams... Did not have any receptions on the year, but had one kick return for 12 yards versus Chattanooga (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: A two-time All-Western North Carolina honoree, as selected by the Asheville Citizen-Times Also named Northwestern 4-A All-Conference and honorable mention All-State Selected to play in the East-West All-Star game Named one of the top 101 football players in North Carolina according to NCHSFootball.com Helped Reynolds to a 14-1 record and a state title with his blocking as the Rockets rushed for over 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns Caught five passes for 83 yards Was a three-year starter, serving last season as a team captain Prior to his senior season, named preseason All-State... Also an Asheville Citizen Times All-Western North Carolina selection in track and field (discus)... Finished fifth in the shot put ( ) and seventh in the discus (134 1 ) at the Class 4A Western Regional... Was first in the discus at the Buncombe County and Northwestern 4A Conference meets as a junior and senior... Recorded the state s fifth-longest throw in the discus (154 6 ). Set a Western Carolina strength & conditioning record in the summer of 2005 with a time of 3.97 in the pro shuttle (Fr.): Enrolled at Western in January of Participated in spring drills and played as a true freshman... Played in 10 games, starting in the season finale at The Citadel for an injured Francis Brown... Tallied nine tackles on the season with a pass break-up... Had a season-high three stops at Elon, while collecting two tackles each versus West Virginia State and Appalachian State... Helped WCU rank 15th nationally in pass defense ( yards/game). Prior to Western: Teammate of current Catamount Darius Fudge at Jonesboro HS... In 2003, ranked among the nation s top 25 defensive backs in Athlon and Street and Smith... A two-time first team all-region and all-area selection... As a senior, had 51 tackles and two interceptions, while getting 54 tackles and seven interceptions as a junior... For his career, tallied 147 tackles with 10 interceptions... Added 12 blocked kicks for his career, including nine blocked field goals... Also played receiver, hauling in 21 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns for his career. #5 CARLTON BAILEY 5-10, 175, So. Corner Back Jonesboro, Ga. Jonesboro HS CARLTON BAILEY S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Had a severe knee injury during spring drills and will miss most if not all of the 2005 season (So.): Played in two games, getting all of his yards and attempts in the season opener... Carried the ball seven times for 54 yards (7.7 yards per carry) versus West Virginia State... Scored his lone touchdown for the season, a 40-yarder, to give WCU its recordsetting victory over West Virginia State, posting 77 points for a school and stadium record (Fr.): Attended Western but did not participate in football team activities. Prior to Western: Named first team All-State by the Associated Press in Ranked second in the state in rushing with 2,473 yards... Added 38 rushing touchdowns to earn all-area and allconference as well... Rushed for 1,241 yards and 12 TDs as a junior to earn all-conference and all-area honors... Led his team in rushing and tackles as a sophomore, junior and senior. GARRET BAKER S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS G Att. Net Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G #44 LAMAR BARNES 5-11, 235, Sr. Linebacker Clayton, N.C. Clayton HS An All-Southern Conference candidate... An invited walk-on to start the 2002 season, Barnes has become one of Western s top players over the past three years... One of the hardest hitters on the team, he has gone through numerous helmets and face masks in his career... In the spring of 2005, named to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American team, recognizing players dedication to strength and conditioning... Barnes was bench pressing 400 pounds at the time, back squat 627 pounds and power clean 315 pounds... Runs the 40-yard dash in 4.90 seconds, runs the pro shuttle in 4.89 seconds and has a vertical jump of 30.5 inches... During the summer of 2005 improved on some of those categories... Now ranks ninth on the WCU strength & conditioning all-time top 10 with a bench press of 410 lbs... Named Most Valuable Linebacker by the coaching staff at the conclusion of the 2003 spring drills... Was also honored after 2004 spring drills, being named Defensive Core Most Valuable Player (Jr.): Was a game captain in nine games, even though he only played in eight contests... Despite being injured was one of WCU s three game captains for the Appalachian State game... Played and started in the first eight games of the season, missing the final three after suffering a knee injury during the Chattanooga contest... Still ranked third on the team in tackles (46), two behind the team leader despite playing three less games... Was fourth on the team with six tackles for losses... Logged seven tackles, all solo stops, in Western s dominating defensive performance versus Nicholls State, holding the Colonels to just two first downs and 45 yards of total offense in the first half... Led the Cats with nine tackles at Alabama and eight tackles versus Georgia Southern... Also led WCU in tackles versus Chattanooga, getting six, despite leaving the game early with a season-ending injury... Played a key role in WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end (So.): Played in 12 games, starting 11 (gave up starting role for senior Johnta Philyaw in the 2003 season finale)... Ranked second on the team and 28th in the SoCon with 70 stops (5.9 per game)... Of his 70 stops, six went for losses... Started the season by getting seven tackles at both North Carolina State and Duke... Forced a Wolfpack fumble early in the second quarter, setting up the Cats first TD... Also had five stops versus Furman and Wofford... Recorded career-high with eight tackles on two occasions (at Georgia Southern and Gardner-Webb)... Continued to be effective on offense in his role as a blocking back, leading the way for Michale Spicer in Western s lone TD versus Wofford (Fr.): Played in 10 games, logging 16 tackles... Also played fullback on offense, seeing action in short yardage situations... Was the lead fullback in several scoring plays... Did not play in the season opener, then saw action in the remaining 10 contests... Had a season-high six stops in a win at The Citadel... Contributed four tackles in the win over Chattanooga. Prior to Western: Three-time all-conference, earning the honor as a defensive end in his sophomore season, as a fullback in his junior season and as a linebacker as a senior... Named his football team s MVP, his school s Spring Athlete of the Year and his school s Male Athlete of the Year as a senior... As a junior, earned his team s Running Back of the Year Award... Also participated in track, where he was named Team MVP... Was tabbed all-conference and all-region in the discus and shot put... Qualified for the state championships thanks to a second place finish in the discus at regionals and a third place finish in the discus. LAMAR BARNES CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Totals

3 #38 ANDRE BROWN 6-0, 190, Sr. Safety Asheville, N.C. Asheville HS #91 RANDY BIRCH 5-11, 265, So. Defensive Tackle Shelby, N.C. Burns HS 2004 (RFr.): Did not see game action (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: A two-time all-conference selection at Burns HS... Also garnered All-Piedmont Region honors... Played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game... Four-year varsity starter... Named his team s defensive Most Valuable Player... Tallied 29 sacks over his career. #41 JEFF BRADLEY 6-3, 235, RFr. Defensive End Lewisville, N.C. West Forsyth HS 2004 (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Associated Press All-State... NCPreps.com First team 4A All-State... Central Piedmont Defensive Player of the Year... All-District... North Carolina East-West All-Star Team Selection... All-Conference... National Honor Roll. A two-time All-Southern Conference honoree in track... In 2002 (true freshman season) garnering a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles (15.89)... In 2004, placed fifth at the SoCon Outdoors with a time of in the 110mH... At the 2005 SoCon Outdoors, hosted by WCU, placed third in the 100mH (15.18) to earn All-SoCon honors (Jr.): Played in all 11 games, starting four contests (West Virginia State, Alabama, Chattanooga and Elon)... Had 20 stops, including one for a loss, with two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery... Tied his career high in tackles in his start at Alabama with four... Added three stops each versus Georgia Southern, Wofford and The Citadel... With Nicholls State inside the WCU 20 and threatening to make it a seven-point game in the fourth, Brown recovered a fumble to end the threat... Only had one stop in WCU s win over Appalachian State, but it went for a four-yard loss... Helped WCU rank 12th nationally in total defense and 15th nationally in pass defense (So.): Played in all 12 games, getting five starts at safety (JC Smith, The Citadel, Georgia Southern, Wofford and Chattanooga)... Tallied 24 stops on the season with two pass break ups.. Capitalized on his starting role by establishing a career high with four tackles, all solo stops, in the Georgia Southern and Wofford games (RFr.): Played in all 11 games, seeing extensive action on the special teams... Tallied five tackles on the season, including one each versus West Virginia Tech, The Citadel, Furman, Wofford and Chattanooga (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Missed two games in his senior season with a fractured fibula... Was selected his team s defensive player of the game three times and offensive player of the game twice... Led his team to the North Carolina 3A West Region title... Part of the region-champion 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams... Placed second in the region s 200m (22.19)... Finished fourth in the state championships in the 200m (22.97)... His relay teams were fifth (4x100), fifth (4x200) and seventh (4x400) in the state championships. ANDRE BROWN S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Totals

4 #2 FRANCIS BROWN 5-10, 190, RSr. Cornerback Camden, N.J. Hudson Valley CC Camden HS #11 J.C. BROWN 6-0, 190, Jr. Wide Receiver Murphy, N.C. Murphy HS 24 Was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA this past spring... Only played in one half of the first game of the season during his freshman year at Hudson Valley CC and that game was later scratched from the record books as it was not able to be completed... Was not able to continue playing his freshman season as he had to take a job to help support his family (Jr.): Was a game captain for all 10 games which he played... Played and started the first 10 games of the season, missing the season finale at The Citadel with an ankle injury suffered during the Appalachian State game... Tallied 30 tackles on the season... Of his 30 stops, four went for losses, including a sack... Also logged an interception and a forced fumble while tying for the team lead with six pass break-ups... Served as Western s punt returner, ranking third in the SoCon and 38th in the nation with an average of 9.38 yards per return... Had an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown at Gardner- Webb, which ranks as the second-longest punt return in school history... Played a key role in WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end, and 15th nationally in pass defense ( yards/game) (So.): Only played in nine games, suffering a broken arm versus The Citadel... Missed three games with the injury, but, with a cast, returned to start the final five games at cornerback... Despite missing time, still ranked second among the defensive backs with 28 tackles on the season... Had two TFLs, two pass break ups and a fumble recovery... Tallied a season-high six tackles at Duke, including five solo stops... Duplicated his season high with six stops at Chattanooga... Had four tackles versus The Citadel, all in the first half, as he suffered the injury covering a kickoff to start the second half... Just missed his season high with five tackles at Appalachian State... Prior to Western: Only played one season at Hudson Valley CC, getting a redshirt for his freshman season... Named second team All-Northeast Football Conference Tallied 40 tackles with a leaguehigh five interceptions Added nine pass break ups Named his conference s player of the week after his game with Erie CC Had two interceptions, a pass break up, four tackles Averaged 14.3 yards per punt return average and 28.3 yards per kickoff return At Camden High School, was a three-time all-conference quarterback. FRANCIS BROWN S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Totals FRANCIS BROWN S CAREER PUNT RETURN STATISTICS G No. Yards Avg. TD Long Totals After the 2005 Spring Practices, was tabbed Offensive Most Improved Athlete by the Catamount coaches... During the 2004 spring drills as he was named Offensive Skill Most Valuable Player by the coaching staff (So.): Played in 10 games, starting the West Virginia State contest... Caught two passes for 17 yards, including a four yarder at Furman and a 13 yarder versus Georgia Southern (RFr.): Played in all 12 games... Caught eight passes for 140 yards... However, his average of 17.5 yards per catch was tops on the team... Average was bolstered by hauling in a 42-yard touchdown reception from Brian Gaither versus Johnson C. Smith... Not only was that Brown s first TD, but his first career reception as well... Had two receptions versus both Wofford (42 yards) and Elon (48 yards) (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Named Western North Carolina Player of the Year by the Asheville Citizen-Times... Took over as Murphy s quarterback in the first game and led them to a 12-2 record... Completed 63- of-118 passes for 1,125 yards and 15 touchdowns... Rushed for 804 yards on 132 attempts with 16 touchdowns... As a defensive back, recorded 41 tackles, a fumble recovery, five pass deflections and two interceptions... Returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns as a senior... For his career, rushed for 2,534 yards and 33 TDs, passed for 1,125 yards and 15 TDs and had 648 receiving yards with three TDs. J.C. BROWN S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals J.C. BROWN S CAREER PUNT RETURN STATISTICS G No. Yards Avg. TD Long 2003 did not return punts Totals #49 JOE BROWN 6-1, 240, RFr. Fullback Belmont, N.C. South Point HS 2004 (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: 2003 NCPreps.com All-State... Two time First Team All-Big South 3A All Gaston Observer All- Gaston Gazette... Team Captain... Gridiron Great... Rushed for 1,775 yards 34 touchdowns as a senior, while gaining 1,835 yards with 30 TDs as a junior... For his career, rushed for 3,950 yards, which is the all-time record in Gaston County, and 66 TDs, en route to being Gaston County s all-time leading scorer... Led South Point to a 15-1 record as a senior and the 2003 State Championship... Tied North Carolina prep state record with six TDs in 2002 (versus A.L. Brown) (RFr.): Played in nine games, serving as Western s holder for placement kicks and as the pooch punter... Helped WCU rank second in the SoCon in net punting (34.0 average) and 25th in the nation in punt return defense (6.61 yards/return)... Had nine punts on the season, averaging 31.8 yards per punt... Of his nine punts, eight landed inside the opponent s His last punt of the season was the only one to not stay inside the 20, being a touchback versus App State... Also scored three points, making all three of his PAT attempts in the Cats win over West Virginia State (Fr.): Redshirted. #39 STEPHEN BROWN 5-10, 175, So. Punter/Holder Cullowhee, N.C. Smoky Mountain HS

5 Prior to Western: Named first team All-Western North Carolina by the Asheville Citizen-Times... As a senior, converted 25-of-28 extra points and 7-of-9 field goals... Also tabbed all-conference and allregion... Set Smoky Mountain HS record for field goals made in a season (seven) and career (eight)... As a junior, converted 16-of-20 PATs and 1-of-2 field goals. STEPHEN BROWN S CAREER PUNTING STATISTICS No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I STEPHEN BROWN S CAREER SCORING STATISTICS PAT FG-FGA Pct Lg Blk Pts #75 MARK BURGESS 6-4, 295, Jr. Offensive Tackle Odessa, Fla. Tulane Univ. Tampa Jesuit HS Transferred to Western in January of 2005 after spending three seasons at Tulane... will have two years of eligibility at Western, redshirting as a true freshman with the Green Wave. Prior to Western: Was a backup offensive lineman at Tulane ( )... At Tampa Jesuit, was a first team All-State selection as a junior... Missed most of his senior season with an injury, but still landed on the all-district squad, as well as being listed on the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune all-county teams in Additionally was named one of Florida s top 100 players by the Orlando Sentinel and one of the top 75 players in the state by FloridaPrep.com... Also, prior to the injury his senior year, Athlon had him listed as one of the top 25 linemen in the nation... Was invited to play in Hillsborough County and Florida-Georgia all-star games... Helped Tampa Jesuit to an undefeated regular season in 2001, three district championships and three region finals. #33 JOHN BUSH 5-10, 235, Sr. Fullback Mableton, Ga. Pebblebrook HS Received his B.S. from Western Carolina in the spring of 2005 in Business Administration and Law (Jr.): Played in all 11 games, serving as the team s starting fullback (actually started eight games)... Was a team captain for all 11 games... Carried the ball nine times for 15 yards and caught four passes for 29 yards... One of his receptions was a career-long, 15- yarder at Alabama (So.): Serving as the team s starting fullback, played in 11 games, missing the season opener at N.C. State after having off-season knee surgery... Had 22 rushes for 58 yards with two touchdowns... Was the feature back in WCU s short yardage situations, including a one-yard TD which proved to be the game winner at East Tennessee State... Not only scored, but set up a score at ETSU... On the Bucs first punt attempt, Bush blocked a punt which T. Alford caught in mid-air and returned two yards for a touchdown... Also scored in a short yardage situation, scoring from two yards out and giving the Cats a 16-3 lead early in the second quarter at Georgia Southern... Was credited with two tackles on special teams (RFr.): Made the switch from linebacker to fullback during spring drills... Played in all 11 games... While he was the starting fullback, was only the official starter twice in Western s spread offense... Was the Catamount s fourth-leading rusher with 85 yards on 24 attempts, an average of 3.54 yards per rush... Also caught three passes for 15 yards... Had a season-high six attempts in the season opener at Liberty, gaining 39 yards... Had two rushes for 13 yards versus West Virginia Tech, a oneyard TD rush and a 12-yard TD rush... Carried the ball five times for seven yards at Wofford, including a one-yard touchdown... Added two receptions for 12 yards against the Terriers (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: A four-year starter for Pebblebrook, including three years on both offense and defense... Named honorable mention All-Cobb County twice (1999 and 2000)... Helped his team to a 10-1 mark and the region title as a senior... Posted 71 tackles as a senior and 82 tackles as a junior... Ranked second in rushing as a junior with 459 yards and six TDs... Also participated in track. JOHN BUSH S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS G Att. Net Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals JOHN BUSH S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals #18 JUSTIN CLARK 6-2, 215, Jr. Quarterback Gastonia, N.C. North Gaston HS 2004 (So.): Played in nine games, starting two (Elon and The Citadel)... Came off the bench to lead WCU to a come-from-behind win over Appalachian State, completing all five pass attempts and a twopoint conversion while scoring 14 unanswered points... Versus the Apps, Western was down with just under five minutes left to play and starting QB Bennett Swygert left the game with an injury... On Clark s first play from scrimmage, hit Eddie Cohen on a short crossing route, which ended up becoming a 53-yard touchdown... After getting the on-side kick, Clark led the Cats to the one-yard line thanks to completions of six and 32 yards only to fumble giving ASU the ball back with 2:03 left... Western got a final chance as ASU fumbled... Clark capitalized, by completing a pas for no gain then, with 49 seconds left, Clark hit Michael Reeder in the left corner of the endzone for a 22-yard TD... Clark and Reeder teamed up for the two-point conversion, giving WCU the win... Ended the season completing 88-of-149 passes (.591) with nine interceptions and seven TDs for 1,065 yards... Ranked 44th in the NCAA and fourth in the SoCon in passing efficiency (122.5 rating), while ranking fourth in the SoCon in passing (118.3 yards/game) and sixth in total offense (113.0 yards/ game)... Other than the App game, best game was versus Chattanooga, completing 21-of-33 passes for 350 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions... The 350 yards ranks 10th on the WCU single-game passing yards list and 12th on the WCU single-game total offense list... Was also perfect in the season opener, going 3-for-3 for 48 yards and a touchdown versus West Virginia State... Came off the bench in a near win over Gardner-Webb... Was 6-of-12 for 52 yards, leading WCU to a pair of scoring drives late, giving the Cats a lead with 10:23 left... Was 16-of-27 for 171 yards, including a 63-yard TD, in a win over Elon... Was solid off bench and nearly led WCU to a win over sixth-ranked Wofford, completing 14-of-23 passes for 120 yards (RFr.): Played in seven games, serving as the backup to All-SoCon quarterback Brian Gaither... Completed 11-of-23 passes for 160 yards... Completed a 54-yard pass to Lamont Seward versus Johnson C. Smith, setting up a six-yard TD run by Nicholas Wishart... Completed a season-high four passes at Chattanooga (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Gaston Gazette Player of the Year... First team All-Gaston County and second team All-Charlotte Observer... Set North Gaston HS records with 28 career touchdown passes and throwing for over 2,000 yards in his career... A two-time all-conference pick... Also played baseball at North Gaston, where he was a four-time all-conference selection at shortstop... Set school records for career batting average (.398), career stolen bases (108) and fielding percentage. JUSTIN CLARK S CAREER PASSING STATISTICS G Effic Att Comp Int Pct Yds TDs Long Avg/G Totals

6 26 #36 MORRIO CLARK 5-11, 195, So. Wide Receiver Shelby, N.C. Burns HS 2003 (RFr.): Played in three games... Despite being listed as a defensive back, saw action at linebacker due to late-season injuries... Also saw action on the special teams (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Had 1,500 yard receivig yards with 20 tochdowns at Burns as a senior... Played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game... Ranked second in the state in receiving yards... Was named All-Southwest Footballs Conference. #9 EDDIE COHEN 5-11, 200, So. Wide Receiver Hilton Head, S.C. Hilton Head HS Set a Western Carolina strength & conditioning record with a vertical jump of Also ran 4.49 in the 40-yard dash and set a record for receivers with a time of 3.99 in the pro shuttle (RFr.): Tied for the team lead with four receiving touchdowns... Ranked second on the team in receptions (34) and third in receiving yards (389)... Was ninth in the SoCon in catching 3.09 passes per game and 10th in the league averaging 35.4 receiving yards per game... Two of his team-leading four TDs came in WCU s win over Appalachian State... First score came at the start of the fourth quarter, a sixyard pass from Bennett Swygert to give the Cats a lead... Second score was a 53-yarder from Justin Clark with 4:35 left in the game, cutting the WCU deficit to Finished the ASU game with five receptions for a careerhigh 109 yards... Scored WCU first aerial TD of the season, a 23- yarder in the season opener versus West Virginia State... Also caught a 36-yard touchdown, giving WCU a temporary lead in the fourth quarter versus Chattanooga... Led WCU with four receptions at Alabama (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Selected to play in the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl As a senior, voted his team s MVP as well as all-area and all-region Caught 47 passes for 666 yards and 11 touchdowns Rushed 13 times for 250 yards Also an All-State basketball performer, earning Low Country Player of the Year honors as a junior. EDDIE COHEN S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G #40 JAMES CONKLIN 5-11, 235, Sr. Linebacker Atlanta, Ga. West Lake HS Is similar to teammate and fellow linebacker Lamar Barnes in many ways... Namely in the way he regularly goes through helmets and face masks due to his hard hitting (Jr.): Finished second on the team in tackles with 47, one behind the team leader... Played in all 11 games, starting the last six... Ranked third on the squad with nine tackles for losses, adding three pass break-ups, a fumble recovery and a fumble caused... Led WCU with eight tackles at The Citadel, tallying seven solo stops... Registered two TFLs at Gardner-Webb and, while only getting three stops versus Appalachian State, had two TFLs... Logged two pass break-up versus West Virginia State and caused a fumble... His fumble recovery came in WCU s impressive defensive performance and win over Nicholls State... In another impressive defensive performance, credited with seven tackles in a win at Elon... Played a key role in WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end (So.): Played in a 12 games, garnering four starts (East Tennessee, Furman, Georgia Southern and Elon)... Ranked sixth on the team with 42 tackles on the season, including two for losses... Added two forced fumbles and a pass break up... One of those forced fumbles led to WCU s 7-0 early lead at East Tennessee State... On WCU s first punt, Conklin raced down the field and forced a fumble, which T. Alford recovered... Two plays plater, Brian Gaither scored from two yards out... Had a career-high eight tackles versus Furman... Second-best outing was versus Elon, a game which he had six tackles and a forced fumble (Fr.): Played in nine games, seeing his playing time increase first due to injuries to other linebackers then for his play on the field... Registered 17 tackles, including two for losses... Had an impressive start to his career with three tackles in the season opener at Liberty... Started seeing playing time increase in the Georgia Southern game and responded with three stops... Had a season-high seven tackles at Wofford, including one for a loss... In the win over Chattanooga, was credited with three tackles and a forced fumble... Only had one tackle at VMI, but is was for a loss. Prior to Western: Named to the City Life All-South Metro first team as well as honorable mention All-State as a senior... Tallied 170 tackles and 8.5 sacks that season to be named his team s Best Defender... As a junior, registered 91 tackles and six sacks, playing in just seven games... Also wrestled for three years at West Lake and participated in track (shot put) one year. JAMES CONKLIN S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Totals #61 JOHN COOPER 6-2, 315, Jr. Offensive Guard Cherokee, N.C. Dorchester (S.C.) Academy 2004 (So.): Attended Western but did not participate in football team activities (RFr.): Did not participate (Fr.): Attended the University of Tennessee. Prior to Western: An all-region selection at Dorchester Academy... Selected to play in the South Carolina North-South All-Star game... Helped Dorchester win two state championships... Won Most Improved for his work in the weight room. #95 DARREN CURTIS 6-2, 240, So. Defensive End Raleigh, N.C. Southeast Raleigh HS 2004 (Fr.): Played in eight games during his true freshman season... Collected seven tackles, getting one stop in seven of his eight games played... His lone tackle at Elon was a solo stop behind the line of scrimmage. Prior to Western: Three time TAAC All-Conference... Led team to playoffs three years, including the semifinals and an 11-3 record as a senior... As a senior, he tallied 88 total hits, 61 solo tackles, 27 assists, 10 sacks, 19.5 TFLs and three fumble recoveries... In his junior season, he registered 68 total hits, 32 solo tackles, 36 assists, five sacks, 10 TFLs and three fumble recoveries... Outstanding lacrosse player earning All-State and All-Conference honors during his junior year.

7 DARREN CURTIS CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS #6 MITCHELL DUKES 6-0, 170, Jr. Safety Atlanta, Ga. North Atlanta HS Took his athletic talent to the track this past spring as WCU hosted the SoCon Outdoor Championships, placing 10th in the triple jump ( ) in his first and only collegiate competition of his career... Best position is corner back, but has been forced to play safety his first two years due to injuries at the position (So.): Played in all 11 games, starting the Appalachian State and Citadel games for the injured Primus Glover... In his second start, tallied a career-high seven tackles at The Citadel, which was the second-highest total by a Catamount that day... Ended the season with 19 tackles, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble... Helped WCU in two of its better defensive efforts on the season by getting 13-yard sack at Elon and forcing fumble versus Nicholls State... Had three tackles and two pass break-ups versus West Virginia State... Helped WCU rank 12th nationally in total defense and 15th nationally in pass defense (Fr..): Stepped in during his true freshman season and established himself as one of the team s top defensive backs... Played in eight games, starting twice... Has the ability to play both corner back and safety... Was pressed into action in the season opener due to an injury to starting free safety Lamont Reid, facing 14th-ranked NC State and their Heisman Trophy candidate Phillip Rivers... Had five tackles versus the Wolfpack in his first collegiate action... Started the next game at Duke, but suffered an injury forcing him to miss the next three games... Came back for the Furman game, then was injured again the following week at Georgia Southern... After missing the Wofford game, returned to the lineup to record two stops at Chattanooga... Capped the season starting versus Gardner-Webb and tying a season high with five stops versus the Bulldogs... Also versus the Bulldogs, recovered a blocked punt in the endzone, scoring a touchdown and giving the Catamounts an early 10-0 lead. Prior to Western: Named first team All- City by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Caught 80 passes for 1,129 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career As a senior, hauled in 41 passes for 829 yards and eight TDs On defense, registered 50 tackles with two interceptions Set school records with his 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and accounting for 253 total yards in a single-game As a sophomore, caught 39 passes for 400 yards and four TDs to earn honorable mention All-City by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. MITCHELL DUKE S CAREER STATISTICS * Totals * - Dukes recovered a blocked punt in the endzone versus Gardner-Webb, scoring a TD. #98 COREY ELLISON 6-0, 275, Jr. Defensive Tackle New Bern, N.C. West Craven HS Missed the four games during the 2004 season and all of 2005 spring drills with a knee injury but worked hard in the off season and should be a factor for the defensive front in (So.): Played in seven games, starting four (Nicholls State, Alabama, Furman and Georgia Southern)... Missed a three-game stretch in the middle of the season before coming back in a limited basis for the final two contests... Tallied a season-high five tackles in WCU s win over Nicholls State, including his lone sack of the season... Had four tackles and a fumble recovery versus Furman (Fr.): Attended Western but did not participate in football team activities. Prior to Western: Named first team Associated Press All-State Was his area s Defensive Player of the Year Helped his team to a 34-4 record over his last three years, including consecutive years of going 12-2 and three conference titles Set a school record with 27 tackles in a game (versus New Bern) A two-time all-conference performer Tallied 503 career tackles, including 53 sacks, and one interception As a senior, had 151 stops with 18.5 sacks Had 11 sacks as a junior and 12.5 as a sophomore to earn his team s Most Valuable Defensive Player award. COREY ELLISON S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS #94 FELIPE FOSTER 6-2, 295, Jr. Defensive Tackle Athens, Ga. Clarke Central HS Not only an all-star candidate in football, but an All-SoCon performer in track as well... Helped WCU win the 2004 SoCon Indoor Championship, placing seventh in the shot put ( )... In 2005, placed 10th in the shot put at the SoCon Outdoors (42 2 )... Had an impressive summer of 2005, setting WCU strength & conditioning records... Owns the all-time record among defensive tackles in bench press (460 lbs), clean (365) and pro shuttle (4.26 seconds) (So.): Played in 10 games, starting four (West Virginia State, Nicholls State, Furman and Georgia Southern... Missed one game due to an injury... Came on strong at season s end, tallying four stops at Elon and versus Appalachian State... On the Mountaineers second drive of the game, Foster forced a fumble, which was recovered by Western (Fr.): Played in all 12 games in his true freshman year Saw his playing time increase as the season progressed, starting the last six games Was second among the Catamount defensive tackles in total hits with 29 His eight tackles for losses ranked sixth on the team Had a sack in the Johnson C. Smith and Chattanooga games Finished the J.C. Smith game with four total hits Had four tackles in the Furman, Georgia Southern and Wofford games as well Of his four tackles versus Wofford, two went for losses. Prior to Western: A first team All-Northeast Georgia pick Tabbed honorable mention All-State by the Atlanta Journal Constitution Received his team s Barry Malcolm Lineman Award after getting 65 tackles, including seven sacks, and three fumble recoveries as a senior Had 50 tackles and four sacks as a junior, while registering 105 stops and two sacks as a sophomore Also a standout wrestler, winning a region title as a junior and finishing second in the region and third in the state as a sophomore. FELIPE FOSTER S CAREER STATISTICS Totals

8 #59 BUCK FREEMAN 6-1, 235, Sr. Defensive End Atlanta, Ga. South Forsyth HS Named to the TIAA/CREF Southern Conference All-Academic Team inn the Fall of 2004 for his 3.6 cumulative grade point average in entrepreneurship (Jr.): Played in all 11 games... Was a valuable member on most of WCU s special teams units... Tallied six tackles on the season, including two versus both West Virginia State and Wofford (So.): Played in all 12 games, seeing time at defensive end and being mainstay on the Catamount special teams... Recorded six tackles on the season... Had four stops in the Johnson C. Smith game, including two for losses and a half sack (Fr.): Did not see game action. Prior to Western: Two-Time All-Forsyth County... Added all-area honors his senior season... Tallied 93 tackles with eight sacks as a senior while compiling 86 tackles and six sacks as a junior... Named his team s Special Teams Player of the Year as a senior and Most Improved after his sophomore season... In addition to being a three-year starter in football, participated in wrestling two years and track (400 meters, 800 meters and long jump) three years. BUCK FREEMAN S CAREER STATISTICS 2002 did not see game action Totals #7 DARIUS FUDGE 6-0, 200, Jr. Running Back Riverdale, Ga. Jonesboro HS Emerged late in the 2004 season and was impressive during 2005 spring drills... Had full participation in spring drills despite leaving the 2004 season finale at The Citadel early in the game with a severe leg fracture... Has shown potential to be an All-SoCon-caliber running back... Along with Nicholas Wishart, Lamont Reid and John Bush, Western possesses an talented offensive back field (So.): Played in all 11 games, starting four of the final six games of the season (Georgia Southern, Elon, Appalachian State and The Citadel)... Was a game captain for the Alabama contest... Had 81 carries on the season for 473 yards, averaging a team-best 5.8 yards per attempt... Scored three touchdowns... Played a key role in WCU s win over Appalachian State, amassing 134 rushing yards on just nine carries... With WCU backed up on it sown two and trailing to start the fourth, broke a 51- yard run to set-up WCU s 98-yard scoring drive, giving the Cats a lead... Started the season by scoring twice (five yards and one yard) in WCU s win over West Virginia State... With WCU clinging to a 14-0 lead and just getting the ball on a fumble, Fudge put the game out of reach with a five-yard TD run at Elon (Fr.): A late addition to the Catamount squad, joining the team when school started in late August... Was originally set to take the semester off and enroll in school in January 2004, but decided to begin his college in the fall... Played in 10 games, rushing 23 times for 120 yards... Saw extensive action in the WCU special teams, logging five tackles and getting a 17-yard kick return in his only attempt of the season at Appalachian State... Versus Johnson C. Smith, playing running back in the second half alone, he still rushed 10 times for 67 yards, including a long of 32 yards... Had six rushes for 17 yards at Chattanooga... Also carried the ball six times, gaining 34 yards, versus Elon. Prior to Western: Named All-area by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution... Ranked third in Region 2- AAAAA in scoring (84) for the 2002 season, while ranking seventh in rushing (780 yards), 13th in receiving (197 yards with three TDs) and eighth in interceptions (2 with a TD)... Was named Papa John s Region 2-AAAAA Player of the Week after rushing 14 times for 201 yards and three TDs, while catching one pass for 58 yards and a score... For his senior year, averaged 5.5 yards per rush (780 yards on 142 carries) with 10 TDs... Led Jonesboro to a 7-4 record and the fourth seed in the playoffs. DARIUS FUDGE S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS G Att. Net Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals DARIUS FUDGE S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals #14 SHELTON GAFFNEY 6-0, 230, Jr. Linebacker Gaffney, S.C. Gaffney HS 2004 (So.): Played in all 11 games, starting four (West Virginia State, Nicholls State, Alabama and Chattanooga)... Tied for third on the team in tackles with Led WCU in its impressive defensive performance versus Nicholls State as he tallied a gamehigh eight tackles, including seven solo stops... Also logged eight stops at Gardner-Webb... Credited with three tackles at Alabama, forcing a fumble in the game... Had five stops at Elon... Played a key role in WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end (Fr.): Saw extensive action in his true freshman year, playing in all 12 games... Tallied 21 stops on the season, including one for a loss, with two pass break ups and a forced fumble... Opened the season with his best game, registering four tackles all solo stops at North Carolina State... Forced a fumble as Georgia Southern. Prior to Western: A two-time first team all-region pick Also earned his team s Best Linebacker Award twice Registered 137 total hits as a senior and 237 for his career Tallied 12 tackles for loss as a senior, including four sacks, with 12 quarterback hurries, two caused fumbles and one fumble recovery As a junior, had 101 stops, including 10 for losses, with a blocked field goal, four caused fumbles and a fumble recovery. SHELTON GAFFNEY S CAREER STATISTICS Totals

9 #21 PRIMUS GLOVER 6-1, 210, Sr. Safety Springfield, Ga. East Tennessee State Univ. Effingham HS Came to Western after two years at East Tennessee State as ETSU dropped its football program after the 2003 season (Jr.): Lived up to his 2004 preseason All-Southern Conference honor by being a Second Team (coaches) All-Southern Conference selection, despite missing the last three games with an injury... Even though he only played in eight games (starting seven), still ranked sixth on the team in tackles with Of his 44 stops, four went for losses, while he registered two interceptions, three pass break-ups, a fumble forced and a fumble recovery... Helped Western Carolina rank 15th nationally in second in the SoCon in pass defense, allowing just passing yards per game...had a 63-yard interception return versus Gardner-Webb, which ranks as the ninth-longest in WCU history... Glover, who had five tackles in the Alabama and Nicholls State games, put together an impressive three-game stretch prior to his injury... Against second-ranked Furman, had nine tackles, while adding eight and seven versus third-ranked Georgia Southern and sixth-ranked Wofford, respectively... Was on his way to another fine performance versus Chattanooga, before leaving the game early with his season-ending injury. Prior to Western: Ranked 12th on the East Tennessee State football team in tackles in 2003 with 30, adding two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble... Had five solo tackles versus SoCon Champion Wofford in 2003, a season-high six stops versus Tennessee-Martin and four tackles versus Western Carolina... Returned an interception 36 yards versus Concord and one 33 yards versus Chattanooga, both of which set up ETSU touchdowns... In 2003, as a redshirt freshman, played in 11 games and earned a starting assignment versus Elon, a game in which he recorded his first career interception... Tallied a season-high four tackles twice (N.C. State and VMI) and finished the season with 19 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups. High School: At Effingham County HS, Glover was an All-State honorable mention selection as a linebacker. He was additionally tabbed the best defensive back in the county following his junior and senior seasons. PRIMUS GLOVER S CAREER STATISTICS 2002 * * # Totals * - Statistics from East Tennessee State University. # - Returned an interception 63 yards, ninth-longest in WCU history, for a touchdown. Made the move from linebacker to safety during spring drills (Fr.): Played in all 11 games as a true freshman... In addition to playing linebacker, contributed to the special teams... Credited with 12 stops on the year, including one for a loss... Had three tackles in his first collegiate game (versus West Virginia State)... Tallied two tackles at both Alabama and Wofford... His lone TFL came at The Citadel. Prior to Western: Tabbed all-area and all-region... Collected 154 tackles as a senior. #32 ISAAC GREEN 6-0, 190, So. Safety Sumter, S.C. Sumter HS ISAAC GREEN S CAREER STATISTICS #82 CALVIN GUINYARD 6-4, 185, Jr. Wide Receiver Cordova, S.C. Edisto HS Uses his size and leaping ability to be a favorite target on fade patterns in the endzone... Took that leaping ability to be an All- Southern Conference honoree for the Catamount track and field team in During the SoCon Indoors, placed third in the triple jump ( ) and seventh in the long jump ( )... At the SoCon Outdoors, was sixth in the triple jump ( ) (So.): Was Western s Big-Play receiver, averaging a teambest 17.3 yards per reception... Was named a game-captain for the Chattanooga game and responded by turning in a team season-best 154-yard game on just six catches with a touchdown... Ranked ninth in the SoCon with his average of 36.1 receiving yards per game... Tied for the team lead with four TD catches... Although he was fourth on the team in receptions (23), he was second on the team in receiving yards (397)... Late in the year, made an appearance on the special teams, blocking a punt, which led directly to a touchdown, at Wofford... Only had seven receptions for 117 yards prior to the Chattanooga game... Versus the Mocs, caught a 37-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Justin Clark as time expired in the first half to give WCU a 10-6 lead at the break... Set the tone for WCU s win at Elon by scoring a 63-yard touchdown, which was the longest pass receptions on the year for the Cats, on WCU s first possession... Hauled in a team-high six receptions (for 33 yards) in a win over Appalachian State... Much like the Elon game, it was Guinyard who put the Cats on the scoreboard first, catching a three-yard pass from Bennett Swygert (Fr.): Attended Western but did not participate in football team activities. Prior to Western: Named South Carolina 2-A All-State as a defensive back Selected to play in the North Carolina/South Carolina Shrine Bowl All-Region and Times and Democrat All-Area pick Tallied 75 tackles as a senior Had four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown Rushed for 676 yards and seven touchdowns, while piling up 265 receiving yards on 19 catches and two scores Amassed 1,396 total yards of offense Orangeburg Touchdown Club Player of the Week Served as his team s kick and punt returner, returning three kicks for scores Named a team captain An All-State selection in basketball. CALVIN GUINYARD S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G

10 #60 BUBBA HAMRICK 6-3, 250, Jr. Long Snapper Morganton, N.C. Freedom HS #50 LUIS HERRON 6-2, 300, Sr. Offensive Tackle/Guard Morehead City, N.C. West Carteret HS First name is Donald, but he prefers to be called Bubba (So.): Played in all 11 games, handling all the snapping duties for both placement kicks and punts... Helped WCU rank second in the SoCon in net punting (34.0 yards/punt) (RFr.): Played in five games, starting the first four as WCU s long snapper... Also played in the Gardner-Webb game... Specialized in snapping for placements kicks (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Two-year letterman at Freedom High School, playing offensive and defensive line as well as being a deep snapper... Helped Freedom to a pair of 8-3 seasons and two playoff appearances... Also a three-time letterman in track, participating in the shot put and discus... Placed in the top five in the conference in the discus as a senior. #81 JACOB HANNAH 6-3, 230, Sr. Tight End Canton, N.C. Pisgah HS 2004 (Jr.): After two years at defensive end, made the move to tight end... Also served as a back-up for the long -snapping duties... Played in two contests (West Virginia State and Alabama) (So.): Played in one game, seeing action in the Johnson C. Smith game... Made the most of his playing time, blocking a punt on the Bulls final possession (RFr.): Played in three games... Registered a tackle in the Liberty game... Also played in the Auburn and West Virginia Tech games (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Earned honorable mention All-Western North Carolina honors as a senior... Also named his team s MVP that season... As a junior, earned his team s Most Improved award... Also played basketball, where he was a two-time all-conference pick... As a junior qualified for the Junior Nationals and played in the annual Western North Carolina Blue-White All-Star game... Ran track as a senior, qualifying for the state regionals in the hurdles. #8 ANDRE HEMPHILL 6-2, 210, Sr. Linebacker/Safety Brevard, N.C. Univ. of South Carolina Brevard HS Will make the move to defense this fall, playing a combination of linebacker and safety (Jr.): Played in eight games, starting the Georgia Southern and Wofford games... In addition to playing receiver, was a valuable member of the special teams... Caught 14 passes for 140 yards on the season... Best two games came against perhaps the best two teams Western faced, hauling in four passes versus both Furman and Georgia Southern... Capped the season with a three-catch, 51-yard performance for an impressive 17.0 yards per reception at The Citadel. Prior to Western: Played in 13 games in his two seasons with the University of South Carolina, starting one contest as a true freshman... Played in nine contests in 2003, serving as a reserve wide receiver and a special teams member, and caught one pass for nine yards (versus Vanderbilt)... As a true freshman, played in four games as a backup wide receiver, starting the Temple contest. High School: At Brevard, Hemphill was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl and was an All-State selection as a senior, hauling in 40 passes for 879 yards with eight touchdowns. On defense, he tallied 17 interceptions over his junior and senior years combined. First name is pronounced Lewis... After two years on the defensive front, he made the move to offensive line prior to the 2004 season (Jr.): Played in eight games, starting five... Missed the final three games of the season with a broken jaw... Started the first game of the season at right guard due to an injury to Morris Sanders, but was a mainstay at right tackle... Split time at the position before earning the starting spot for the Furman contest, which he held until his seasonending injury prior to the Elon game (So.): Played in 11 games, missing the Duke game... Registered 14 tackles on the season, including three for losses and two sacks... Had a season-high four tackles versus Wofford (RFr.): Played in all 11 games, starting nine contests... Ranked third on the team with eight tackles for loss... Totaled 34 tackles on the season, including two sacks... Amazingly, had three pass break ups from his defensive tackle position... Had an impressive start to his carer with a five tackle performance, including one for a loss and a pass break up, at Liberty... Also had five stops at The Citadel... Only tallied three tackles versus East Tennessee State; however, he did have a tackle for loss in the game starting a run of six straight game with a TFL... Recorded his first career sack versus Georgia Southern, adding a second sack at VMI... Tied his season high with five tackles at Wofford (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: An all-conference selection and team MVP as a senior... Led West Carteret in tackles for losses and receiving yards, while ranking second on the team in rushing yards... Also participated in wrestling, track and field and baseball... Posted a 38-2 record and a 35-match winning streak in wrestling... Won state title (4A heavyweight) and ranked ninth in the nation... Ranked sixth in the state as a junior and placed fourth at the state championship... In track, won conference title in the discus... Placed second in his conference and region championships in the shot put as a junior... Earned MVP honors as a sophomore in baseball at the Easter Tournament in Kinston. LUIS HERRON S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS moved to offense Total #27 TRAVIS HILL 6-0, 225, So. Linebacker Rock Hill, S.C. Northwestern HS 2004 (Fr.): Had an impressive true freshman campaign as he led the team in tackles (48), played in all 11 games and started three contests (Elon, Appalachian State and The Citadel)... Tied for fourth on the team with six tackles for losses on the season... Played a key role in WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end... Was named Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week twice with one of those weeks, picking up National Co-Defensive Player of the Week by Don Hansen s National Weekly Football Gazette... Became to the first freshman to earn either SoCon Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week honors since 1998, when then freshman Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern) was named Offensive Player of the Week three times...in Hill s collegiate debut helped the Catamounts handed West Virginia State a 77-7 loss as WCU s defense held the Yellow Jackets to just 117 yards of total offense... With the Catamounts leading 43-0 early in the third quarter, Hill intercepted a pass and returned it six yards for a touchdown... Later in the period, he intercepted his second pass of the game and returned it 35 yards for a TD... With that, he tied an NCAA I-AA and Southern Conference record by returning two interceptions for TDs, becoming just the 17th at the I- 30 ANDRE HEMPHILL S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G 2002 * * Totals * - Played his first two years at the University of South Carolina.

11 AA level and just the fourth player in league history to accomplish the feat... For the game, had a teamhigh nine tackles (six solo), including one for a loss, with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to go along with his two interceptions... For a second time during the season, was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week... At Elon, Hill made his first collegiate start at linebacker, filling in for an injured WCU team captain and leading tackler Lamar Barnes... Hill recorded 12 tackles, which was the best total for a Catamount in a game for the season, including seven solo stops... Of his 12 tackles, two went for losses, including a key sack late in the third quarter... Set the tone for a dominating defensive performance for the Cats by getting tackles on two of the first three plays at Elon, forcing a three and out... WCU s defense only allowed 86 total yards of offense in the first half, just 10 yards of offense in the third quarter and had only surrendered 101 yards of total offense until Elon s last possession of the game... Led WCU with nine tackles in a win over Appalachian State... Also led the Cats in with eight stops at The Citadel, including two tackles for losses. Prior to Western: 2003 Rock Hill Herald Player of the year... Charlotte Observer First Team All- Upper South Carolina... As a senior, collected 155 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions and nine tackles for loss... Charlotte Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year... Selected to play in the South Carolina North-South All-Star football game... First Team All-Region 3 4A honoree... A WHRI Player of the Week selection as a senior... Helped Northwestern to the 4A Big 16 state championship game, playing defensive end. TRAVIS HILL S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS #19 MICHAEL HINES 6-1, 200, So. Wide Receiver Asheville, N.C. Asheville HS Was named offensive game MVP in the 2004 Purple-Gold game... Although he only caught one pass in the game, it was good for 57 yards and the lone touchdown (RFr.): Played in nine games, getting the start in Western s win over Appalachian State... Caught five passes for 22 yards, including four for 18 yards versus Georgia Southern... Also had one receptions for four yards at Elon... Also served on Western s special teams (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Named to the Asheville Citizen-Times All-Western North Carolina team Tabbed Mountain Athletic 3-A All-Conference Selected to play in the East-West All-Star game As a senior, caught 35 passes for 600 yards and seven touchdowns in helping his Cougars post an 11-3 record and reach the 3-A semifinals On defense, registered 41 tackles and picked off five passes As a junior, caught 47 passes for 783 yards and eight TDs Added three interceptions on defense For his career, caught 93 passes for 1,490 yards and 15 TDs... On defense had 15 career interceptions and five fumble recoveries... Also an all-conference selection for his basketball team. MICHAEL HINES S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G #96 ROBERT HOOPER 6-3, 325, So. Defensive Tackle Charlotte, N.C. Olympic HS Has an interest in Western s new film school... Got his first taste of the business in April of He, along with teammate John Martin and another classmate wrote a story On the Front Lines for a creative writing class, which was later made into a play that ran on Western s campus during the spring of In addition writing, he and numerous football players acted in the play (RFr.): Did not participate (Fr.): Reshirted. Prior to Western: Finalist for the Charlotte Observer Defensive Player of the Year Award... First team All-Southwestern 4A Conference... Won his team s Fighting Trojan Award... A two-way starter for Olympic... Registered 75 tackles, including eight for losses, and three caused fumbles as a senior. #51 DAN LAWRENCE 6-4, 265, RFr. Offensive Guard Roxboro, N.C. Person HS 2004 (Fr.): Graduated from Person High in December of 2003 and enrolled at Western in January of Participated in spring drills and played in the season opener versus West Virginia State before taking a redshirt. Prior to Western: Two-time First Team All-PAC 6... Two-time allarea selection as well, earning first team honors as a senior... Played center and his high school system was similar to Western s in that he snapped out of the shotgun... As a junior, his blocking helped his team break 16 rushing records... Recorded 68 knock downs as a senior and graded out 82 percent or higher in all games as a junior... In 2001, he was honorable mention allconference, helping Person win the conference championship. #3 BRUCE LEE 5-8, 155, Jr. Cornerback Camden, S.C. Camden HS Set a Western Carolina strength & conditioning record in the summer of 2005 with a 40-yard dash of 4.31, bettering the previous record of T. Alford by 0.02 seconds (So.): Named Second Team (coaches) All-Southern Conference... Helped Western Carolina rank 15th nationally in second in the SoCon in pass defense, allowing just passing yards per game... For the season, Lee ranked eighth on the team in tackles with 40, while tying for the team lead with six pass break-ups... Would have started all 11 games, however WCU started three safeties versus Nicholls State, who only employs one receiver in their offense... Had six stops at Alabama... Also tallied six tackles, all solo, versus Chattanooga, with a forced fumble and a pass break-up... Added two PBU s at Elon... Closed the season in fine fashion, earning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors versus Appalachian State... Tallied eight tackles, including seven solo stops, a sack and broke-up a pair of passes as the Catamounts upset Appalachian State... Helped contain App State s DaVon Fowlkes, limiting the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year to five catches for 56 yards and no touchdowns... Late in the second quarter, with ASU on the Catamount 20 yard line, it was Lee s sevenyard sack that backed the Mountaineers up, forcing ASU to settle for a 48-yard field goal making the score 6-3 in WCU s favor at the break... To start the third quarter, Lee broke up an Alan Atwater pass to Richie Williams (on a tailback throw back play) in the endzone, once again forcing an App field goal, giving WCU a 9-6 lead (RFr.): Was the only defensive back to start all 12 games, ranking fifth on the team in tackles with Added two tackles for losses, while pacing the team with five pass break ups... One of six Catamounts to record an interception... In his first collegiate action, tallied 10 tackles (eight solo and two assists) versus North Carolina State... Recorded three of his five PBUs in the Cats win over The Citadel... Had seven tackles versus both Furman and Georgia Southern, adding an interception versus the Paladins as well as a PBU and a TFL versus the Eagles... Posted eight stops at Chattanooga and had a seven-tackle performance at Appalachian State (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Named All-State... Selected to play in the annual North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl... A two-time all-region 4-AAA selection... Helped Camden to the South Carolina 3A state championship... Logged 57 tackles, including 40 solo hits, as a senior... Picked off seven passes in his final season, returning one 55 yards for a touchdown, and three as a junior... Averaged 16.2 yards on his 16 punt returns... Hails from the same high school that produced Kerry Hayes, who earned All- America honors for the Catamounts in 1992 and BRUCE LEE S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Totals

12 #12 JOSH LEE 6-2, 245, Sr. Quarterback Kannapolis, N.C. A.L. Brown HS A two-time Southern Conference champion in the javelin... Won his second consecutive SoCon javelin title (190 6 ) to qualify for the 2004 NCAA East Regional... Prior to the 2004 SoCon Outdoors, Lee was named the Arby s/catamount Male Athlete of the Month for April as he finished third in the javelin at Georgia Tech s Yellow Jacket Invitational on with a conferenceleading throw of His mark tied what was then a Western Carolina record and, as he went through spring drills, the meet at Tech was his first competition of the outdoor season... Later in the month, finished first and set a school record in the javelin with a toss of at Davidson s Irwin Belk Invitational... Got his start on the track team during the 2003 season... With little practice and not competing in his first two years at Western, stepped in and won the 2003 Southern Conference title in the javelin (193 8 )... Qualified for the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Regional Championships... In 2005, placed second at the SoCon Outdoors in the javelin with a throw of (Jr.): Only played in one game (West Virginia State), but was asked to move back to quarterback due to injuries at the position (So.): Saw action in two games... Went 0-for-2 passing versus Johnson C. Smith... Played but had no pass attempts versus East Tennessee State (RFr.): Played in one game, attempting three passes without a completion versus West Virginia Tech (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Selected to play in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game despite just one season playing at quarterback... Passed for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading A.L. Brown to an 11-2 record... Went 11 games without an interception... Named preseason All-State as a linebacker before his senior season... Paced his team with 137 tackles as a junior... A two-time all-conference selection, once as a linebacker (junior) and once as a quarterback (senior.) JOSH LEE S CAREER PASSING STATISTICS Year G Effic Att Comp INT Pct Yds TDs Long Avg/G Did not see game action at quarterback Totals #42 MIKE MALONE 5-10, 190, So. Running Back Gainesville, Ga. Gainesville HS An All-Southern Conference performer in track and field... Holds the title as the SoCon s fastest man, winning the meters this past spring with a time of 10.45, marking the second consecutive year a Catamount and football player held the title (T. Alford)... Also at the 2005 SoCon Outdoors, won the 200 meters (21.25) and the 110- meter hurdles (14.54), while being on the wining 4x100 relay team and placing fifth in the long jump (21 11 )... All told, he scored an amazing 36.5 points on his own at the 2005 SoCon Outdoors to be named Male Outdoor Track Performer of the Year... During the 2005 SoCon Indoor season, was second in the 60 meters (6.92), second in the 60-meter hurdles (8.33), second in the 200 meters (22.13) and third in the long jump ( )... Helped the Cats win the 2004 SoCon Indoor title by finishing third in the 60mH (8.47)... Also participated in the 60m... During the outdoor season, he scored in the SoCon Outdoors in the 100mH and 400mH... In the 100mH, he placed sixth with a time of and, in the 400mH, he placed sixth with a time of Also participated in the 100m (RFr.): Played in six games, serving as a back-up at running back and kick return... Also saw action on various special teams units... All seven carries on the year came in the season opener versus West Virginia State (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Was a teammate of current Catamount Carlton Bailey at Gainesville HS... Scored 52 rushing touchdowns and rushed for 3,192 yards over his career at Gainesville... An all-area selection as a senior, he rushed for 1600 yards with 29 TDs... Added 58 receptions and 10 receiving TDs that season... Led Gainesville to a AAA region championship... MVP of his football and track teams. MIKE MALONE S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS G Att. Net Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G MIKE MALONE S CAREER KICK RETURN STATISTICS G No. Yards Avg. TD Long #53 JOHN MARTIN 6-2, 315, Jr. Defensive Tackle Cherokee, N.C. Cherokee HS He, along with teammate Robert Hooper and another classmate wrote a story On the Front Lines for a creative writing class, which was later made into a play that ran on Western s campus during the spring of During the spring of 2005, was tabbed the defense s Most Improved Athlete by the coaching staff at the conclusion of spring drills (So.): Played in all 11 games... Finished the season with seven tackles... Three of the stops went for losses, including a sack... Best game came in his collegiate debut versus West Virginia State, getting three tackles, including two for losses with a sack... Also tallied a TFL at Alabama (Fr.): Attended Western but did not participate in football team activities. Prior to Western: A two-time All- Western North Carolina honoree, as selected by the Asheville Citizen-Times The Citizen-Times described him as a dominant blocker Also a two-time All-Smoky Mountain Conference pick as well as the league s two-time Lineman of the Year Was a preseason All- State pick Helped Cherokee to a Class A state semifinals as a junior As a senior, his blocking allowed the Braves to rush for more than 3,000 yards and pass for over 1,500 Played for former WCU defensive back and assistant coach Al Mutt DeGraffenreid at Cherokee HS. JOHN MARTIN S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

13 #25 TIM MAYSE 5-11, 225, Jr. Punter/Kicker Pine Mountain, Ga. Columbus HS Possesses a strong leg...in addition to his punting duties, will vie for kickoff duties and placekicker (RSo.): Named Second Team (coaches) All-Southern Conference... Ended the season ranked first in the SoCon and 26th nationally with a punting average of Helped WCU rank 25th nationally in punt return defense, as opponents only averaged 6.61 yards per return, and second in the SoCon in net punting (34.0)... Of his 50 punts, he had three travel over 50 yards, 10 pinned inside the opponent s own 20 and 14 not returned as the opponent signaled for a fair catch... His effort helped the Catamounts rank third in the SoCon in net punting... Mayse also handled the Catamount placekicking duties, leading the team in scoring with 41 points (So.): Redshirted as Western had an experienced punter and kicker ( Fr.): Played in 10 games, handling kickoff duties and serving as the backup punter and placekicker. Prior to Western: An All-Bi-City selection... Averaged 39.3 yards on his 58 punts as a senior... For his career, made 30-of-39 PATs, 18-of-26 field goals and averaged 40 yards per punt... Set school record for field goals made in a career (18) and single-season record for most punts attempted (58) and best punting average (40.2) as a junior... Was voted Best Kicker and the Western Carolina and Clemson camps... An All-State selection in baseball. TIM MAYSE S CAREER PUNTING STATISTICS No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I Did not punt 2003 Redshirted Totals TIM MAYSE S CAREER SCORING STATISTICS PAT FG-FGA Pct Lg Blk Points 2002 Did not placekick 2003 Redshirted Totals #62 KEVIN MCALMONT 6-2, 315, Sr. Offensive Guard Union City, Ga. Creekside HS During the summer of 2005, set a WCU record with a bench press of 505 pounds and ran a time of 4.98 in the 40-yard dash, the best for a Catamount offensive lineman... In addition to being an All-Southern Conference candidate in football, is an outstanding track & field athlete... In 2005, scored in the SoCon Indoor Championships with a fourth-place finish in the weight throw (51 11 )... Helped WCU win the 2004 SoCon Indoor Championship... Scored in the weight throw, finishing seventh with a distance of During the outdoor season, participated in the hammer, shot put and discus (Jr.): Started all 11 games at left guard... Even though Furman was allowing just 101 rushing yards per game, McAlmont helped Western roll up 181 rushing yards against the Paladins, which was the team s best performance versus a I-AA team in Western s offensive line also helped the Cats rush for 152 yards in a win over Appalachian State (So.): Played in all 12 games, starting nine... Made the move from defensive tackle to offensive tackle... Began to establish himself as one of the top offensive linemen... His increasingly solid play forced him into the Catamount starting line up at left guard for the Citadel game... Remained a starter at the spot the remainder of the season... Helped Western lead the SoCon in passing as the offensive line only allowed 11 sacks in a SoCon-high 433 pass attempts or one sack every pass attempts (Fr.): Played in seven games as a true freshman, starting the season finale versus Appalachian State... Ended the season with five tackles and one pass break up. Prior to Western: Was named Creekside s Most Valuable Lineman, leading the Seminoles to a 13-1 record as a junior... Tabbed All-South Metro Atlanta and honorable mention All-State... Graded out at over 85 percent for the season as an offensive lineman... National Honor Society member. #78 JOE PATTON 6-7, 340, Sr. Offensive Guard Cameron, N.C. North Carolina Central Univ. Western Harnett HS 2004 (Jr.): Played in nine games... While he did see some game action on the offensive line, most of his contribution came as member of the Western Carolina PAT/Field Goal unit (So.): Did not see game action (RFr): Attended Western, but sat out as a transfer. Prior to Western: Attended North Carolina Central in 2001 but redshirted due to injury... High School: Western Harnett named allconference as a senior and voted Most Improved on his team... Male Athlete of the Month during his senior season. #29 RICKY RAINEY 6-1, 215, RSr. Linebacker Gastonia, N.C. Ashbrook HS Coming to Western as a partial qualifier for the 2001 season, met NCAA progress requirements to gain a fifth year of eligibility (Sr.): Played in all 11 games, starting four (Nicholls State, Gardner-Webb, Elon and The Citadel)... Has continued to show his versatility, playing mainly linebacker as well as defensive end and safety at times... Helped WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end... Had 20 tackles on the season, including five for losses... Also tallied an interception, a pass break-up and two fumble recoveries... Registered four tackles versus Nicholls State, making an impressive open-field tackle for a loss... Had three tackles versus Appalachian State, including a 10-yard sack with a fumble recovery... Closed the season with a tackle for loss and his first career interception at The Citadel (Jr.): Played in 11 games, starting five... Although a linebacker by trade, his five starts came at safety as the Cat s had numerous injuries in the defensive backfield... Was ninth on the team in tackles with 35, including four for losses and a sack... Added two pass break ups... Had his three best games against three of WCU s tougher opponents... In his second game at safety, tallied five tackles versus Furman... Followed that with a six-tackle performance at Georgia Southern, then had a careerhigh seven tackles, including six solo stops, versus Wofford (So.): Played in eight contests, recording six tackles... Played a key role in keeping Liberty out of the endzone for the 23-3 win... The Flames were facing second and goal from the three with under two minutes left in the game when Rainey forced a fumble by the Liberty quarterback at the one yard line, which Jada Sullivan recovered... In addition to his linebacking duties, was a member of the WCU special teams (Fr.): Attended Western, but did not participate in football activities. Prior to Western: Played in the 2001 North Carolina East-West All Star game... Named Defensive Player of the Year by the Gaston Gazette and Piedmont Conference Co-Player of the Year as a senior... Tallied 11 sacks and 67 total tackles... As a tight end, had 709 receiving yards and seven TD receptions... Added two rushing TDs... As a junior, had 119 tackles on defense, while catching 24 passes for 472 yards and five TDs on offense... A two-time all-conference pick in track. RICKY RAINEY S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Totals

14 #99 RICO REESE 6-1, 245, Sr. Defensive End Austell, Ga. Peeblebrook HS #20 LAMONT REID 6-2, 215, Sr. Running Back Maiden, N.C. Maiden HS Rico s younger brother, Mario, is a starting linebacker/defensive end at Minnesota (Jr.): Played in all 11 games starting eight... Led the team with three fumble recoveries, which ranked second in the Southern Conference (0.27 recoveries/game)... Logged 29 tackles on the season, including five for losses... Helped WCU ranking 12th nationally in total defense ( yards/game), the school s highest ever national rank at season s end... Logged a season-high five tackles, including one for a loss, in Western s impressive defensive performance versus Nicholls State... Recovered a fumble at Alabama... Credited with four stops at Gardner- Webb and Wofford... Intercepted a pass at Elon and returned it 18 for his first career touchdown, which proved to be the game winner in the Cats 28-7 win (So.): Played in all 12 games, serving as the top defensive end reserve behind All-SoCon picks Nick McNeil and Michale Spicer... Was 10th on the team in total hits with Had seven tackles for losses, including two sacks... Added an interception, a pass break up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery... Logged his first career start at Georgia Southern, taking the spot from McNeil... Took advantage of his first start by collecting a career-high eight tackles, including six solo starts, with a TFL... Had impressive back-to-back games versus Johnson C, Smith and The Citadel... Played a key role in allowing JC Smith to minus 23 net rushing yards as he logged four tackles, including two for losses and a sack... Also was credited with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery... The next week, before a regional television audience versus The Citadel, he had five tackles, including three for losses... Had a key 12-yard sack and later recorded his first career interception (RFr.): Played in all 11 games, serving as a primary back up to All-SoCon defensive ends Michale Spicer and Nick McNeil... Tallied four stops in the West Virginia Tech game... Two games later, recorded a season-high five tackles versus East Tennessee State... Had two stops each versus Auburn, Furman and Wofford (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Led Pebblebrook HS in sacks as a sophomore (eight), junior (10) and senior (seven)... Selected second team allcounty as a senior... Named his team s Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman and received the Coach s Award... Ranked second on the team in total tackles (64)... Helped his team to a 10-1 mark and the region title as a senior... Was a member of his school s student leadership team. RICO REESE S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS * Totals * - Returned interception 18 yards for a touchdown at Elon. Was recruited as a tailback, but moved to safety in his freshman season after losing starters Justin Fryer and Teddy Burgis prior to the season... During the 2004 spring drills, he made the moved back to his more natural position on offense... Picked up where he left off in high school, showing flashes of brilliance... Helped WCU win the 2004 Southern Conference Indoor championship as he scored in the long jump (fifth place, ) and the high jump (sixth place, )... At the 2004 SoCon Outdoors, he placed fourth in the high jump ( ) and eighth in the long jump ( )... Earned All-SoCon honors during the 2005 indoor season, placing second at the SoCon Indoors in the long jump (22 8 ) and added a fourth-place finish in the high jump ( )... At the 2005 SoCon Outdoors, scored in the high jump, placing fifth with a leap of Put both his football and track skills to set a WCU strength & conditioning record with a strength index of 6.43, shattering the record of 6.22 set by Michale Spicer... On the all-time strength & conditioning lists, ranks second in the back squat (675 lbs), second on the clean (380 lbs), second in the broad jump ( ), fourth in the pro shuttle (4.09) and fifth in the vertical jump (37 5 ) (Jr.): Played in 10 games, missing the Georgia Southern game with an injury... Had 28 carries for 108 yards on the season... Also caught four passes for 64 yards, scoring twice... Only had four carries for 34 yards versus West Virginia State, but caught three passes for 42 yards with two aerial touchdowns... Hauled in passes of 23 and 17 yards for scores... Scored his lone TD on the ground on his only attempt at Gardner-Webb, pounding it in from five yards out... Had four carries for 21 yards at Alabama... Toted the ball a season-high nine times (for 23 yards) at Elon... Also saw action on the special teams... Collected six tackles on the season, including three at Elon (So.): Only played in two games, suffering two injuries... Started the North Carolina State game, getting two tackles, but was injured early... Missed the next five games, returning to action at Georgia Southern... Had a pass break up versus the Eagles, but once again suffered an early injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season (Fr.): Played in 10 games, sitting out the Liberty game... After it was apparent two-time All- SoCon safety Justin Fryer would be out for the season, Reid got his first action at Auburn and played the remainder of the season...would end up starting the final four games of the season after Burgis was lost for the season... Despite the limited playing time early, Reid still finished seventh on the team in tackles with Had his first big game versus Georgia Southern, collecting six tackles... As a starter for the final four games, he registered at least eight stops in each contest, tallying eight stops at Wofford, a season-high nine versus Chattanooga, eight at VMI and eight versus Appalachian State. Prior to Western: Southern Foothills Conference Player of the Year as a senior... Tallied 2,078 allpurpose yards as a running back and receiver... Scored 30 touchdowns to earn Hickory Daily Record Player of the Year honors... A preseason all-state pick prior to his senior season... Tabbed allconference in football and basketball as a junior. LAMONT REID S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS G Att. Net Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G LAMONT REID S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G LAMONT REID S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Moved to offense Totals

15 #65 LINDEN RYAN 6-2, 280, Sr. Center Shawsville, Va. Fork Union Military Acad. Shawsville HS #77 WENDELL SINGLETARY 6-6, 300, Sr. Offensive Tackle Whiteville, N.C. SW Mississippi CC West Columbus HS An All-Southern Conference candidate as he is the only Catamount to start in each of WCU s 34 games over the past three years... Makes all the calls on the offensive front, relaying blocking assignments (Jr.): Started all 11 games at center... Anchored an offensive line which helped Justin Clark roll up 350 passing yards versus Chattanooga, which ranks 10th on the WCU single-game list... Also paved the way for Nicholas Wishart, who rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Nicholls State, and Darius Fudge, who rushed for 134 yards on just nine carries in a win over Appalachian State (So.): Started all 12 games at center... Continued to handle the center duties exceptionally... Played a key role in WCU s offense leading the SoCon in passing for a second consecutive year... The WCU offensive line only allowed 11 sacks on the season and did not give up a sack in six of its 12 games... Twice during the year, WCU had 121 consecutive pass attempts without allowing a sack (RFr.): Started all 11 games at center... Handled the duties well at center, especially considering WCU lined in shotgun formation nearly every play in Anchored an offensive line which only allowed 15 sacks in 385 passing attempts (one in every 25.7 pass attempts) to rank second in the SoCon (Fr.): Redshirted... Entered WCU in January 2001, getting to participate in spring drills... Served as the backup in 2001, dressing for each game, but did not play in order to preserve his redshirt season Prior to Western: Played one season at Fork Union Military Academy... A three-time all-district selection at Shawsville HS. #89 JAMES SINGLETARY 6-2, 270, So. Tight End Kernersville, N.C. Glenn HS 2004 (Fr.): Played in all 11 games, splitting time as the team s starting tight end... Was actually on the field for the first snap versus Nicholls State, Alabama and The Citadel... Also a key contributor on the special teams... Only caught one pass on the season, a 13 yarder at The Citadel. Prior to Western: Selected to play in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game... Tabbed all-conference and was recipient of the Golden Helmet Award... Team captain in both football and basketball... Member of the National Honor Society and Key Club. JAMES SINGLETARY S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G (Jr.): Played in all 11 games, starting seven contests at right tackle (So.): Played in five games... battled some injuries during his sophomore season... However, came back to earn Most Improved Offensive Player by the coaches at the conclusion of spring drills. Prior to Western: Played one season at Southwest Mississippi Community College... Tallied 15 tackles with two sacks at SMCC... In high school, at West Columbus, was tabbed first team All-State... A first team All-Columbus County selection on both offense and defense as a senior... Led the team in sacks (10), tackles for losses (13) and total hits as a senior... Also averaged six pancake blocks on offense per game as a senior... Played tight end and defensive end as a junior... Third on the team in sacks and TFLs as a junior... Named his team s Most Improved Player as a sophomore... As a member of the basketball team, was a second team All-State selection, while earning first team all-conference honors... Signed to play football by Clemson out of high school... Brother of former Catamount Maris Singletary. #13 ROBBIE SOVIE 6-1, 205, Fr. Safety Macon, Ga. Stratford Academy Enrolled at Western in January of Originally signed a football National Letter of Intent with the Western in However, that spring, he decided to pursue a career in professional baseball after being drafted in the fourth round (110th pick overall) of the Detroit Tigers in the annual Major League Baseball amateur draft... Played for the single-a Oneonta Tigers in Was widely regarded for his speed... Jim Callis of Baseball America said, The Tigers also locked onto a top athlete in Robbie Sovie, the fastest legitimate prospect in the (2002) draft.... For Western, Sovie will play safety and he will have four years of eligibility with the football program. Prior to Western: Not only a standout on the baseball diamond, but he was named All-State in football as a senior and sophomore... Additionally tabbed his region s Player of the Year and All-Middle Georgia as a senior... Is Stratford Academy s all-time leader in rushing yards (4,850), all-purpose yards (5,538) and touchdowns (79)... As a senior, logged 80 tackles, including eight for losses, and three interceptions on defense, while rushing for 1,455 yards and a school-record 29 touchdowns as a senior... Added three receiving TD s that season to also set a school record with 32 scores in a season... Helped Stratford to a 37-3 record over his final three seasons with two AAA state titles and a semifinal appearance... He was a four-time all-region pick, rushing for over 1,000 yards each season... In baseball, Sovie was an All-State selection as a senior, batting.538 (second-best, single-season average in Stratford history) and hitting 14 home runs. #37 ALAN STAYTON 5-8, 180, Jr. Punter Las Vegas, Nev. Univ. of Nevada / Hargrave (Va.) Military Acad. Son of Van Stayton, who was a WCU letterman from and ranks ninth on the school s all-time list with 14 career field goals made (So.): Did not see game action (RFr.): Did not see game action. Prior to Western: Spent true freshman season at Univ. of Nevada- Reno... At Hargrave, scored 27 points to rank third on the team in scoring... His senior year of high school was at Las Vegas Green Valley High where was recipient of Coaches Award and Scholar-Athlete Award... His sophomore and junior years were at Centennial High in Roswell, Ga., where he was a two-year letterman in football. 35

16 #63 MARCUS THOMAS 6-6, 285, Jr. Offensive Tackle Roxboro, N.C. Person HS #1 NICHOLAS WISHART 5-8, 195, Jr. Running Back Toronto, Ontario Central Tech HS Was named the offense s Most Valuable Athlete by the coaching staff at the conclusion of 2005 spring drills (So.): Played in all 11 games, serving as a back-up to Adam Donaldson and Wendell Singletary at both tackle positions (RFr.): Played in five games as a back up offensive lineman... During spring drills of 2003, made the move from defense to offense (Fr.): Redshirted. Prior to Western: Selected All-PAC 6 Conference as a senior and junior once as an offensive tackle and once as a defensive tackle... Led Person HS to a conference title and a playoff berth in his final season... Was a two-time PAC 6 Conference Player of the Week. #83 MARCUS VEREEN 6-0, 170, Fr. Wide Receiver Winston-Salem, N.C. Hargrave (Va.) Military Acad. Mount Tabor HS Enrolled at Western in January of 2005 and will have four years of eligibility. Prior to Western: Graduated from Mount Tabor HS in Winston-Salem in 2004 before spending the fall of 2004 at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy... At Hargrave, caught 18 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns... Also scored a rushing TD last season... For Mount Tabor, Helped the Spartans reach the North Carolina 4A Championship game, finishing the season with a 14-2 record... As a senior, had 68 receptions, 19 of which went for touchdowns, and ranked second in the state with 1,345 receiving yards... Caught at least one TD in the Spartans first seven games of the 2003 season, tying a state record for touchdown receptions in consecutive games... Was selected to play in the 2004 North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All- Star game... Named to the Winston-Salem Journal s All-Northwest team as well as being named to the All- Metro 4-A team... Was also a standout on the Mount Tabor basketball and baseball teams. #48 DREW WALKER 6-1, 245, RFr. Linebacker Lenoir, N.C. Hibriten HS 2004 (Fr.): Redshirted, sitting out the season with an injury. Prior to Western: First Team 2A All-State pick in 2003 and a Shrine Bowl nominee... Two-time All-Caldwell County Football Team member and All-Mountain Valley Athletic Conference Team selection... As a senior, a team captain... A two-time team Defensive MVP... Also picked up 2003 County Defensive Player of the Year and MVAC Defensive Player of the Year honors... All-Unifour and first team All- Piedmont as a junior... Scored 12 TDs for his career... Also a golf letterman... Helped Hibriten win the 2001 conference championship All County Golf Team Golf Team Captain. #24 MEKO WATSON 5-9, 185, So. Cornerback Gastonia, N.C. Hargrave (Va.) Military Acad. North Gaston HS First name is Jeremeko, but he prefers Meko... Graduated from Hargrave in December of 2003 and enrolled at Western in January of (Fr.): Saw action in eight contests as a true freshman... Had three tackles on the season, including two versus West Virginia State in his collegiate debut and one at Alabama. Prior to Western: At Hargrave, played defensive back and recorded 26 tackles with six pass breakups and two interceptions... Also blocked a punt... At North Gaston, played outside linebacker as a senior, earning second team All-Gaston Gazette and second team all-conference... As a junior, played defensive back, earning first team All-Gaston Gazette and first team all-conference honors... Also named his team s Defensive Back of the Year as a junior... Missed his sophomore season due to a broken arm (So.): For the second consecutive season, led the Catamounts in rushing... Tallied 146 rushing attempts for 577 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry... Also led the Cats by scoring five touchdowns (all on the ground) to rank second on the team in scoring with 30 points... Ranked 10th in the Southern Conference, averaging 52.5 rushing yards per game... Added 17 receptions for 99 yards to lead the team in all-purpose yards (676)... Had a big day in Western s win over Nicholls State, carrying the ball 23 times for 92 yards and three touchdowns... Got WCU on the scoreboard first versus the Colonels with a season-long 30-yard TD... Also scored TDs versus West Virginia State and Furman... Other big games include carrying the ball 20 times for 73 yards at Gardner-Webb and 21 times for 75 yards at Wofford... Best day catching the ball came as Justin Clark totalled 350 passing yards versus Chattanooga with Wishart getting three receptions for 41 yards (Fr.): Came to Western Carolina in January of 2003 and participated in spring drills Made an immediate impact on the team, earning Most Improved Running Back/Receiver by the coaches at the conclusion of spring practice Kept that momentum into his true freshman season, leading the Catamounts in rushing attempts (132), yards (639) and yards per games (53.2) Also had a team-best six rushing touchdowns Ranked fourth on the team in receptions (19) and had 145 receiving yards Played in all 12 games in 2003, getting the starting nod versus Wofford, Elon, Appalachian State and Gardner-Webb Ranked eighth in the SoCon in rushing At Georgia Southern, he had 18 rushes for a career-high 128 yards and caught five passes for 47 yards, giving him 175 all-purpose yards to earn SoCon Freshman of the Week honors Gave the Catamounts an early 10-0 lead over the Eagles after he burst over right tackle and 59 yards later found pay dirt The 59-yard rush was the longest by a Catamount this season and was the longest by a Georgia Southern opponent for the season Was just the second back to eclipse the 100-yard plateau in 2003 versus GSU with the other was McNeese State s Vick King (147 yards) Had one of the best games for a Catamount running back versus Elon Only had 87 rushing yards on 18 carries, an average of 4.8 yards per rush However, he played sparingly in the second half due to his first half excellence Tallied 81 of his 87 yards in leading the Cats to a 23-0 halftime lead Accounted for 12 of the 23 points, with rushing TDs of two and 12 yards Followed that with another impressive performance at Appalachian State Joined Xavier Godard in having an exceptional second half for the Catamounts Wishart finished with 19 rushes for 95 yards, an average of 5.0 yards per carry In the second half alone, Wishart rushed eight times for 61 yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry The 19 rushes was a season high and his 103 rushing yards was his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. Prior to Western: Graduated from Central Tech in the spring of 2002 Was an all-star selection by both the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun Tabbed Running Back of the Year in Ontario three times In 2002, named one of the top three running backs in Canada Rushed for 1,523 yards as a senior with 17 touchdowns Set a school record by rushing for 297 yards in a game Played for Team Canada in an international all-star tournament in NICHOLAS WISHART S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS G Att. Net Yds Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals NICHOLAS WISHART S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long Avg./G Totals

17 ADDITIONAL VARSITY CANDIDATES #39 JOE BOMBO 5-9, 165, RFr. Wide Receiver Salisbury, N.C. West Rowan HS #70 MATTHEW BUCHANAN 6-2, 295, RFr. Offensive Tackle Connelly Springs, N.C. East Burke HS #76 CAMERON CAPPS 6-1, 280, RFr. Center/Guard Charlotte, N.C. East Mecklenburg HS #69 SAM HOWARD 6-3, 270, RFr. Offensive Tackle Morganton, N.C. Freedom HS #67 CHRISTIAN MYERS 5-10, 215, RFr. Linebacker Swannanoa, N.C. Owen HS #68 TIM TEMPLE 5-9, 185, RFr. Linebacker Charlotte, N.C. South Mecklenburg HS #5 CENTARIO GRIER 5-11, 210, RFr. Quarterback Charlotte, N.C. West Mecklenburg HS #84 NICK MILLER 6-0, 155, So. Wide Receiver Atlanta, Ga. Banneker HS #30 RUSSELL RICHTER 5-11, 240, RFr. Fullback Monroe, N.C. Sun Valley HS #46 BLAIR WILLARD 6-0, 195, RFr. Safety Winston-Salem, N.C. North Forsyth HS 37