University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Covered Bridge Open
Cross Country to open season at Covered Bridge Open on Friday
09.02.2021 | Cross Country
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville Cross Country will kick off the 2021 campaign with a trip to the Covered Bridge Open, hosted by Appalachian State, on Friday, September 3. The women will start first at 5 p.m., followed by the men who begin at 5:45 p.m.
Teams competing in the event include Florida State, Milligan, High Point, ETSU, Tennessee Tech, Northern Kentucky, Mercer, Coastal Carolina, UNC Pembroke, Lees-McRae, and Western Carolina.
The Bulldogs last competed in the Covered Bridge Open in the 2019-2020 season, where the men finished sixth, followed by the women who finished seventh.
Senior and 2021 All-Big South member Clara Wincheski paced the Bulldogs in the 2019 meet with a time of 20:05.65, while junior John Ciprich made his UNC Asheville debut and finished with a time of 27:30.28.
Both the men's and women's squads were picked to finish fifth in the Big South Preseason Cross Country Polls, after a third place finish last year for the women, and a fourth place finish for the men.
UNC Asheville combines for one of the more experienced units in the Big South, as freshmen Michael Hoefler and Quinn Jacquez are the only newcomers, and returners Clara Wincheski and Adam Hessler return with All-Big South honors from the spring season.
