By Natalie Pearson
For the past eight years Selection Sunday has been just another Sunday for UNC Asheville. Not this year.
In the packed Highsmith Grotto, the newly-crowned Big South Conference Champions waited patiently – teetering on the edge of their seats – to hear which opponent they are to face in the first round of the NCAA National Basketball Championships.
“I was very nervous,” senior forward John Williams said. “We all were. There was talk about us playing Duke in Charlotte, but I wasn’t surprised to play a play-in game. Either way we’re just excited to play against someone.”
The “someone” was the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, another mid-major school from the Sun Belt Conference, who they Tuesday in Dayton, OH.
Despite their athletic prowess not being the standard of Duke or North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Head Coach Eddie Biedenbach is not breathing easy.
“There’s no such thing as a bad team at this level,” he said. “They’ve made it this far and that says something. We’re going to go out there and be the best we can be.”
Something that may put the Bulldogs at ease is the knowledge of the aptly named “Bulldog Nation” – the faithful fans who followed the team through the season and who came out to support them on Sunday.
“I support the Bulldogs all the way,” senior management student and ex-Bulldog tennis player Tania Mateva said. “This is huge for the school and the boys have worked so hard to get there. I think there’s going to be more than a few upsets.”
Upsets are something the Bulldogs are dishing out this season, starting with their jaw-dropping victory over Auburn. As the year went on, the Bulldog’s picked up the pace, highlighted by junior guard Matt Dickey’s buzzer beating 3-pointer to defeat conference foe Coastal Carolina, and the team’s commanding victory over the same opponent a-week-and-a-half ago in the conference tournament final.
The 60-47 win over the Chanticleer’s made the team only the third to qualify in school history, and the first to make it to the Big Dance since 2003.
“This is the best year in all my four years at this school,” Williams said.
If (and when!) the Bulldogs win on Tuesday, they will play Pittsburgh Thursday in Washington D.C. Tune in, cross your fingers and put on your dancing shoes for another Bulldog victory.
Go Bulldogs!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Big Weekend for the Bulldogs
A Big Weekend for the Bulldogs
By Natalie Pearson
The weekend proved to be a successful one for the Bulldogs. To begin, the track and field team competed in the Big South Indoor Track and Field Championships at Clemson, S.C., on Thursday and Friday.
And compete they did.
Second places performances from Melanie Kulesz, Sarah Gentry, Natalie Pearson and the Distance Medley Relay team – consisting of Claire Powell, Gentry, Alyska Kalmeijer and Kylie Smith – helped rack up 62 points for the Bulldogs, placing them 3rd in the overall standings. The bronze is the highest the women’s team has finished in the conference in school history, earning Head Coach Jesse Norman Coach of the Year.
Bulldog success struck again on Saturday, when the men’s basketball team blew past conference foe Radford University. The home game was played in front of an encouraging, sold out crowd, which helped push UNC Asheville to an 82-58 victory.
Aside from solidifying the Bulldog’s 3rd place in the conference standings and confirming a first round home game in the Big South tournament, the match up was also the last to be played in the Justice Center before moving to the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness next season.
In addition, it marked the last home game for seniors John Williams and Eric Stubbs, who concluded their college careers in style, scoring 28 points combined.
Go Bulldogs!
By Natalie Pearson
The weekend proved to be a successful one for the Bulldogs. To begin, the track and field team competed in the Big South Indoor Track and Field Championships at Clemson, S.C., on Thursday and Friday.
And compete they did.
Second places performances from Melanie Kulesz, Sarah Gentry, Natalie Pearson and the Distance Medley Relay team – consisting of Claire Powell, Gentry, Alyska Kalmeijer and Kylie Smith – helped rack up 62 points for the Bulldogs, placing them 3rd in the overall standings. The bronze is the highest the women’s team has finished in the conference in school history, earning Head Coach Jesse Norman Coach of the Year.
Bulldog success struck again on Saturday, when the men’s basketball team blew past conference foe Radford University. The home game was played in front of an encouraging, sold out crowd, which helped push UNC Asheville to an 82-58 victory.
Aside from solidifying the Bulldog’s 3rd place in the conference standings and confirming a first round home game in the Big South tournament, the match up was also the last to be played in the Justice Center before moving to the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness next season.
In addition, it marked the last home game for seniors John Williams and Eric Stubbs, who concluded their college careers in style, scoring 28 points combined.
Go Bulldogs!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Track and Field Preview for this Weekend
Track and Field Big South Preview
By Natalie Pearson
UNC Asheville’s men and women’s track and field team will finish up their indoor schedule with the Big South Indoor Conference meet held at Clemson this Thursday and Friday.
Freshman sprinter Milan Ristic will be one to look out for on the men’s side. So far this season, he has racked up a school record in the indoor 200-meter dash with 22.32seconds, a tied school record in the 55-meter dash with 6.49, and the second fastest time in school history in the 60-meter hurdles with 8.28. He will be competing in the 60 hurdles, the 200 and the 1,600-meter relay at Clemson and is currently ranked 10th in the 200 and 7th in the hurdles.
On the women’s team, distance runners Melanie Kulesz and Emma Bussard continue to shine in the mile. The duo began their indoor season capturing 1st and 2nd respectively at the Appalachian State University Open meet in January, and went on to finish 4th and 5th respectively at East Tennessee State’s Niswonger Invitational in February. The girl’s are currently ranked 5th and 6th respectively in the conference and so will be looking for a podium finish this weekend.
Simon Haake, the experienced senior thrower, will also make a showing at Clemson in the shot put and weight throw. Coming of an exceptional 2010 outdoor season, highlighted by a regional qualifying javelin throw, Haake will be determined to make an impact in the indoor conference.
By Natalie Pearson
UNC Asheville’s men and women’s track and field team will finish up their indoor schedule with the Big South Indoor Conference meet held at Clemson this Thursday and Friday.
Freshman sprinter Milan Ristic will be one to look out for on the men’s side. So far this season, he has racked up a school record in the indoor 200-meter dash with 22.32seconds, a tied school record in the 55-meter dash with 6.49, and the second fastest time in school history in the 60-meter hurdles with 8.28. He will be competing in the 60 hurdles, the 200 and the 1,600-meter relay at Clemson and is currently ranked 10th in the 200 and 7th in the hurdles.
On the women’s team, distance runners Melanie Kulesz and Emma Bussard continue to shine in the mile. The duo began their indoor season capturing 1st and 2nd respectively at the Appalachian State University Open meet in January, and went on to finish 4th and 5th respectively at East Tennessee State’s Niswonger Invitational in February. The girl’s are currently ranked 5th and 6th respectively in the conference and so will be looking for a podium finish this weekend.
Simon Haake, the experienced senior thrower, will also make a showing at Clemson in the shot put and weight throw. Coming of an exceptional 2010 outdoor season, highlighted by a regional qualifying javelin throw, Haake will be determined to make an impact in the indoor conference.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Bulldog Baseball Opens This Weekend
By Natalie Pearson
The Bulldog baseball season begins this weekend in front of a home crowd at Greenwood Field. The team will face non-conference opponents Murray State – a Division I school traditional in good baseball. However, with UNC Asheville’s enhanced roster, cosmetic improvements to the dugouts, the field and the backstop, and the promise of good weather this weekend, the team is raring to go.
“I’m excited, the staff’s excited, I think the entire department’s excited and the kids are excited,” Head Coach Tom Smith said.
Since last season, the Bulldogs have welcomed 15 freshmen and two junior transfer student athletes. These players, representing a healthy mix of local and out of state athletes, carry with them the hope of a successful season.
“We’ve brought in very talented freshmen,” Smith said. “They’ll progress with seasoning and some will have important roles from the very beginning.”
The three game series against the Thoroughbreds from Kentucky will be the first match up the Bulldogs have played against them historically. The homestand will also mark the beginning of a brand new 53-game season including eight home games and 10 contests at the Asheville Tourist’s home turf, McCormick Field.
Go Bulldogs!
The Bulldog baseball season begins this weekend in front of a home crowd at Greenwood Field. The team will face non-conference opponents Murray State – a Division I school traditional in good baseball. However, with UNC Asheville’s enhanced roster, cosmetic improvements to the dugouts, the field and the backstop, and the promise of good weather this weekend, the team is raring to go.
“I’m excited, the staff’s excited, I think the entire department’s excited and the kids are excited,” Head Coach Tom Smith said.
Since last season, the Bulldogs have welcomed 15 freshmen and two junior transfer student athletes. These players, representing a healthy mix of local and out of state athletes, carry with them the hope of a successful season.
“We’ve brought in very talented freshmen,” Smith said. “They’ll progress with seasoning and some will have important roles from the very beginning.”
The three game series against the Thoroughbreds from Kentucky will be the first match up the Bulldogs have played against them historically. The homestand will also mark the beginning of a brand new 53-game season including eight home games and 10 contests at the Asheville Tourist’s home turf, McCormick Field.
Go Bulldogs!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
By Natalie Pearson
The Bulldog men’s and women’s tennis programs are poised to begin a positive 2011 season with the addition of new players, old and new.
For the women’s team, Freshman Zoe Hamel is joining the Bulldogs all the way from Paris, and should provide some depth to a roster that is sparse due to illness and graduated players.
As for the men, the Bulldogs boast two incoming players: freshman John Schubel and junior Alex Appelt. Appelt, a former Bulldog, played at UNC Asheville from 2008 to 2010 before taking a semester sabbatical at Roanoake College, VA. He is now back in Asheville for good, and will add sparks of chemistry on and off the court.
Although the duo will help majorly in practices and team morale, the newbies will have to wait until next year’s season to get out on the courts in official match play due to NCAA Division I transfer rules.
The Big South preseason polls have picked both Bulldog teams to finish in 7th in conference play, but Asheville has proved the polls wrong in the past, and with the help of Hamel, Schubel, Appelt and 12 returning players, can do so again.
The men’s team kicks off their spring season on Feb. 4 on home turf at the Crowne Plaza. The women will begin this Friday against Davidson, at Davidson, and, after two straight years of winning seasons will be looking for a third.
Go Bulldogs!
The Bulldog men’s and women’s tennis programs are poised to begin a positive 2011 season with the addition of new players, old and new.
For the women’s team, Freshman Zoe Hamel is joining the Bulldogs all the way from Paris, and should provide some depth to a roster that is sparse due to illness and graduated players.
As for the men, the Bulldogs boast two incoming players: freshman John Schubel and junior Alex Appelt. Appelt, a former Bulldog, played at UNC Asheville from 2008 to 2010 before taking a semester sabbatical at Roanoake College, VA. He is now back in Asheville for good, and will add sparks of chemistry on and off the court.
Although the duo will help majorly in practices and team morale, the newbies will have to wait until next year’s season to get out on the courts in official match play due to NCAA Division I transfer rules.
The Big South preseason polls have picked both Bulldog teams to finish in 7th in conference play, but Asheville has proved the polls wrong in the past, and with the help of Hamel, Schubel, Appelt and 12 returning players, can do so again.
The men’s team kicks off their spring season on Feb. 4 on home turf at the Crowne Plaza. The women will begin this Friday against Davidson, at Davidson, and, after two straight years of winning seasons will be looking for a third.
Go Bulldogs!
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