Thank You Steve & Michele

The end of May will end two wonderful coaching era’s at UNC Asheville.

Steve and Michele Cornish have been the face of UNC Asheville soccer for the past 16 years. Steve was named as the Bulldogs head men’s coach in 1992, while Michele was named head women’s coach in 1994.

The duo have led Bulldog Athletics to some great moments during their careers. Steve inherited a tough situation in 1992 as the Bulldog program had been without a coach for almost six months. No recruiting being done. No spring practice. No spring season. Players left and transferred from a solid club in 1991.

Somehow Steve got the Bulldogs to win four matches that year and had them competitive in a bunch more. He led Asheville to some memorable victories. Who can forget the 2-1 upset of defending Big South champ Coastal Carolina in 1995 at Greenwood Field. There was a 2-1 victory over Evansville at home in 2001. And in 2007 with the Bulldogs in the midst of a seven-match losing streak, Asheville picked up its first ever win over an ACC foe when the Bulldogs shocked Clemson 2-1 in overtime. Patrick Tate’s goal midway through the second overtime period on a rainy day made us all forget how rainy and wet we were that day.

It didn’t take long for Michele to make an impact on Bulldog Athletics. In 1995, she guided the Bulldogs to a memorable Big South Conference championship. UNC Asheville was on fire from the start of the year and earned a trip to the its first ever Big South Conference championship game where the Bulldogs stunned nationally-ranked UNC Greensboro, 1-0 on the Lady Spartans home field. Fifteen years later I can still see Ashley Hart tapping in McKenzie’s Miller shot for the only goal of the match early in the second half. The Bulldogs won 16 matches that year, still a school record.

The next year Asheville went to another Big South title game against Greensboro and took the nationally-ranked Spartans to PK’s where the Bulldogs fell. That year had great moments, including a memorable 2-0 victory over Wake Forest at home. The Deacons were nationally-ranked and would win two games in the NCAA Tournament later that year but were denied by Cornish’s club that day.

Michele had good teams over the years but had some back luck in Big South finals. Two regular-season championship clubs fell in the tourney and in 2003 the cruelest loss of all came when the Bulldogs fell in PK’s to High Point, 3-2. Asheville led 2-0 in PK’s but couldn’t hold on for easily the toughest loss in school history.

In 2006, Michele’s team broke through and became the first women’s team at UNC Asheville to go to the NCAA Tournament. The freshmen who had suffered through that bitter loss in 2003 to High Point led the Bulldogs to an amazing tournament title. Asheville knocked off three teams that it had not beaten in the regular season and downed Liberty in PK’s 4-2. The Bulldogs got a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament and play eventual national champion UNC Chapel Hill.

Steve and Michele did a great job running their programs and did it a class way. They put Asheville soccer on the map in the area and their players did things the right way. Mike Roach, a men’s soccer player in the early part of the last decade, was a first-team Academic All-American who had a perfect 4.0 GPA, while majoring in chemistry. Michele’s teams always did well in the classroom with several of her players earning spots on the All-Region All-Academic team.

Steve and Michele leave us for a great opportunity at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School in Minnesota. That’s where Steve was at before he came to UNC Asheville in the spring of 1992. It shows how much a school thinks of Steve that 18 years later they still wanted him back.

An era of Bulldog soccer ends later this month but Steve and Michele will never be forgotten.

Josh Pittman Going Into Big South Hall of Fame

UNC Asheville received some great news last week when we found out that former men’s basketball player Josh Pittman was being inducted into the Big South Hall of Fame in June.

Josh enjoyed a great career for the Bulldogs from 1994-98. He helped lead UNC Asheville to its first ever Big South Conference regular-season championships in 1997 and 1998. Josh was the Big South Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998.

I have a lot of great memories from Josh’s career. I remember some of his great dunks, including one over 1997 Final Four MVP Miles Simon at Arizona his senior year. There was another at New Mexico State when the Bulldogs stunned the Aggies in his junior season.

I also remember what a class act he was on and off the court. He never got too high or too low and just went about his business. Whenever he was interviewed, Josh was always quick to praise his teammates for any accomplishments. When we inducted Josh into the UNC Asheville Hall of Fame he hadn’t changed a bit.

Josh Pittman will become the first male from UNC Asheville to be in the Big South Hall of Fame. No one is more deserving.

Bulldog Baseball Posts Two Big Wins This Weekend

The UNC Asheville baseball team picked up two impressive wins this weekend as the Bulldogs won a Big South Conference series against Liberty at Greenwood Field.

First-year coach Tom Smith’s team edged the Flames 5-4 on Friday and then won Saturday’s first game, 2-1 on Justin Schumer’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Liberty won Saturday’s nightcap 7-3 but the Bulldogs had already claimed their first Big South series win since the 2008 season. The Flames are traditionally one of the top teams in the league every year and they did not expect to lose a series to the Bulldogs.

Asheville is 7-13 on the young season and has shown a great deal of improvement already this year. The Bulldogs only won nine games all of last year and will surpass their win total from a year ago shortly.

One of the most impressive feats this weekend was Asheville’s pitching. The Bulldogs got a great effort from freshman Drew Spear in Friday’s win. Spear bounced back from a rocky start to limit Liberty the rest of the game. On Saturday, sophomore Ryan Dull was impressive in pitching a complete game against the Flames. He allowed a run in the first inning and little else after that to raise his record to 3-0. Dull also earned a save on Friday.

Smith promised his team would play hard for nine innings. The Bulldogs have done just that and will play everybody tough the rest of the season.

This weekend Asheville hosts VMI in a Big South Conference series. The series begins at Greenwood Field on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a double-header at McCormick Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. Come out and support the Bulldogs. You’ll see an improved team that’s only going to get better.

Bulldog Tennis To Shine in 2010

We’re coming down the stretch with basketball season, but this spring make sure you check out the Bulldog men’s and women’s tennis teams.

The men’s squad is 2-2 on the year, while the women’s team is 1-1. Both teams look much improved from last year and could compete for Big South Conference titles this season.

The men’s squad has some new players and returnees that could make them one of the most improved teams in the nation. An impressive 7-0 win over Division II power Mars Hill two weeks ago gave just a glimpse of how good this team could be. They lost to Furman last week but every match was competitive and the Paladins are among the nation’s top teams every year.

On the women’s side, the Bulldogs return just about everyone from last year. They lost to Furman last week but came so close to winning the doubles point and each singles match could have gone either way. The Lady Paladins are a national power, as well.

Both teams should be better because of their new home. The Bulldog squads will practice and play at the Crowne Plaza Tennis Center, just five minutes away from campus. If the weather is good, it’s a nice place to watch a match outdoors. If the weather is bad, then the indoor courts are a good place to play and watch.

Head Coach Lise Gregory and Assistant Coach Tom Hand have worked hard to improve Bulldog tennis. Watch them as the year goes on and you’ll be impressed with what they’ve achieved.

Bulldogs Go to the South Carolina Coast This Weekend

Sunday was a great win for the UNC Asheville men’s basketball team. The Bulldogs played very well in beating the defending Big South champions Radford, 92-84. Ironically, the same score that the Highlanders beat the Bulldogs in last year’s Big South Conference semifinal tournament game.

It was a total team effort in the victory as once again Asheville had five players in double figures. Matt Dickey scored 26 points, despite only taking eight shots in the game. He was 10-of-12 from the free throw line. How about the play of freshman Jaron Lane with a career-best 17 points and eight rebounds? He really gave the Bulldogs a lift off the bench. John Williams is blocking every shot in sight it seems. His next one will make him the school’s all-time leader in that category.

Another big weekend is ahead for Coach Biedenbach’s club. Asheville plays at Charleston Southern Thursday night and Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon. Two teams that beat the Bulldogs at home in early January. Each game becomes bigger as we head toward March.

Two Big Games for Men's Basketball This Week

The UNC Asheville men’s basketball team has battled back and picked up five straight wins over a 10-day period and is over .500 in league play (5-4).

The more the Bulldogs wins and the bigger the next game becomes. Asheville ends its five-game homestand with two crucial league games this week. The Dogs host High Point Thursday night and then take on Radford Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Both games are huge. After Saturday, Asheville has only three league games at home remaining. The Bulldogs are in position to make a move in the league standings but must hold serve at home. Asheville and High Point always play close games that can go either way. Last year, both games against the Panthers went the Bulldogs’ way. Earlier this month, the game went High Point’s way. On Saturday against Radford, the Bulldogs hope to break a five-game losing streak to the Highlanders. All five losses have been close but they’ve been losses nevertheless.

The Bulldogs have improved in all areas over the past few weeks but the offense has really taken off. After only having one player average in double figures in scoring (J.P. Primm) for most of the season, Asheville has five players averaging in double figures going into the High Point game. The Dogs don’t have anybody who will lead the league in scoring but they have plenty of guys that can hurt you.

We need two great crowds this week to support our Bulldogs and try and get us two wins.

Men's Basketball Just Needs A Little Luck

The UNC Asheville men’s basketball team had a lot of luck last week but not too much of it was good luck. The Bulldogs lost four Big South Conference games in seven days that they easily could have won. In three of the games, Asheville was either tied or in the lead in the last two minutes but just couldn’t get the right bounce. Last Monday at High Point, a long three-pointer off a busted play helped give the Panthers the victory. Thursday against Coastal Carolina, a team that has now won 12 games in a row, a shot that came oh so close to bouncing out instead bounced in with 5.5 seconds left to give the Chanticleers the victory. Last Saturday against Charleston Southern, the Bulldogs were one defensive stop away from winning.

What’s impressive about this Asheville team is that it keeps battling and playing. With the tough schedule the Bulldogs had early and the expectations it had, it would be easy for them to hang their heads or simply throw in the towel for this season. But this Asheville team has not come close to doing that and as we all know it’s a long season and a lot of interesting things can happen in March. The Bulldogs are on the road for two games this week at VMI and Liberty and then come home for five straight home games. It’s one of the longest homestands in recent memory. If Asheville can keep improving and maybe find a lucky bounce along the way the Bulldogs have a chance to make some noise come March.