University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Track & Field Has Strong Showing at the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships
02.26.2023 | Track and Field
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The UNC Asheville track & field teams had one of their most productive Championship meets in program history over the past two days in Blacksburg, Virginia. At the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Bulldogs had four conference champions, broke three program records and both the men's and women's squads finished among the top five in the team standings.
The four conference championships by the Bulldogs are their most ever at the Conference's Indoor Meet. The four conference titles came from Claudia Prieto (Long Jump), Zac Weas (60-meter hurdles), Solomon McDonald (shot put), and Adam Hessler (5000-meter run). Furthermore, Prieto was the women's team All-Academic Team honoree as well as the Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third time. Nathaniel Edwards also received recognition for his academics as he was the All-Academic honoree from the men's team.
Prieto's conference championship in the long jump is the first title from the women's team at the Big South Indoor Championships since 2014. Prieto also became the first Asheville track & field student-athlete to be named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year multiple times.
Weas, an Asheville native, became the second Bulldog ever to win the conference title in the 60-meter hurdles joining Milan Ristic (2012, 2013). Weas showed quite an improvement this season as he logged multiple podium finishes. Furthermore, he cut nearly half of a full second off his time from last year's Indoor Championships (8.40 to 7.95). Weas' time of 7.95 ranks second all-time in Asheville's indoor history behind only Ristic's time of 7.75.
McDonald is the fourth Bulldog to ever win a Big South Indoor Shot Put Championship. McDonald, who owns the school record in the shot put for both the indoor and outdoor, joins fellow Bulldog greats Adam Chacon (1999), Brian MacPhee (2001), and Nathan Hedgepeth (2003) as student-athletes that have won conference titles in the shot put.
Finally, Hessler cruised to the top spot in the 5000-meter run clocking in at 14:31.18. Hessler's time, which occurred on Friday, also established a new program indoor record, eclipsing the previous best mark by 24 seconds. Hessler joins former Bulldog Chad Pearson (2000) as the only Asheville runners on the men's side to win the Big South's 5000-meter run championship.
The four conference championships by the Bulldogs are their most ever at the Conference's Indoor Meet. The four conference titles came from Claudia Prieto (Long Jump), Zac Weas (60-meter hurdles), Solomon McDonald (shot put), and Adam Hessler (5000-meter run). Furthermore, Prieto was the women's team All-Academic Team honoree as well as the Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third time. Nathaniel Edwards also received recognition for his academics as he was the All-Academic honoree from the men's team.
Prieto's conference championship in the long jump is the first title from the women's team at the Big South Indoor Championships since 2014. Prieto also became the first Asheville track & field student-athlete to be named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year multiple times.
Weas, an Asheville native, became the second Bulldog ever to win the conference title in the 60-meter hurdles joining Milan Ristic (2012, 2013). Weas showed quite an improvement this season as he logged multiple podium finishes. Furthermore, he cut nearly half of a full second off his time from last year's Indoor Championships (8.40 to 7.95). Weas' time of 7.95 ranks second all-time in Asheville's indoor history behind only Ristic's time of 7.75.
McDonald is the fourth Bulldog to ever win a Big South Indoor Shot Put Championship. McDonald, who owns the school record in the shot put for both the indoor and outdoor, joins fellow Bulldog greats Adam Chacon (1999), Brian MacPhee (2001), and Nathan Hedgepeth (2003) as student-athletes that have won conference titles in the shot put.
Finally, Hessler cruised to the top spot in the 5000-meter run clocking in at 14:31.18. Hessler's time, which occurred on Friday, also established a new program indoor record, eclipsing the previous best mark by 24 seconds. Hessler joins former Bulldog Chad Pearson (2000) as the only Asheville runners on the men's side to win the Big South's 5000-meter run championship.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track and Field
Distance
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
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