Cross Country Teams Prepare for Regional on Saturday

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville men's and women's cross country teams are back in action Saturday morning as the Bulldogs will take part in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships held at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky. The men's 10K race is slated to begin at 10 a.m., followed shortly by the women's 6K race set for 11:15 a.m.

Third year head coach, Jesse Norman is excited about his athletes competing in the Regional race.

"This will be a great opportunity for both teams to gain valuable experience at this level for the future," commented Norman.

Freshman Melanie Kulesz looks to continue to pace the Bulldogs upfront on Saturday. The freshman earned All-Conference honors with a 10th place finish at the Big South Conference Meet two weeks ago in the 5K. Upfront with Kulesz will be fellow teammate freshman Clair Powell. Powell finished 26th place at the Big South Conference Meet two weeks ago.

On the men's side, sophomore Eliud Chirchir looks to set the pace upfront for the Bulldog men. Chirchir finished in 13th place at the Big South Conference Meet in the 8K on Oct. 31. Before UNC Asheville, he ran a 31:29 for 10K while at the University of Wyoming last year. Chirchir will be looking to improve on that time this weekend. Sophomore Sam Maynard will also look to lead the pack upfront for the Bulldogs. He finished in 17th place at the Big South Conference Meet .