Indoor Track and Field Opens Season at Appalachian on Saturday

ASHEVILLE, N.C.- The UNC Asheville men's and women's Indoor Track and Field squads open their winter season this Saturday morning at the Appalachian Invitational that will be held at the Holmes Convention on the campus of Appalachian State University.

Field events and sprint events will begin at 11 a.m. at the Holmes Center. Third-year coach Jesse Norman looks forward to having his teams competing on Saturday.

"Our track and field teams have been training hard for the past few months, and they're chomping at the bit to be in a meet," commented Norman. "We believe we're much improved this season. For the first time, we have some real depth and can participate in a few more events than we've had in the past."

This is the only meet the Bulldogs will participate in before going home for the holiday. Asheville's first meet in 2010 will also be at Appalachian State on Jan. 15.

"We want to see where we're at this Saturday," said Norman. "We're anxious to see how improving we've done since last year and how are newcomers fare. It will also give us a gauge to see what we have to work on over the Christmas break."

Highlighting the Bulldogs women's team this year is senior sprinter Natalie Pearson. Pearson qualified for the NCAA Regional in the 100 meters last spring. She won six different sprint events last year in both indoor and outdoor.

On the men's side, Will Beasley should be a Bulldog to watch out for in the triple and long jump this season.