University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
2012 Cross Country Roster
Roster
Melanie Kulesz
- Position:
- Distance
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- Hometown:
- Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Overview: The rising senior was named Big South All-Conference in Cross Country as a freshman and sophomore ....named Big South Conference Runner-Up in the mile for Indoor Track as a sophomore...named Big South All-Conference in Outdoor Track as a Junior in the 10,000 meters (3rd place)... in her three years at UNC Asheville she has dominated the distance races... she is looking forward to continued success on and off the track this year as a Bulldog.
2011-12: She redshirted her cross country season...Indoors...placing 5th in 3k at the Big South Championships and raced the 5k and mile...she performed well under the exhausting triple at the championship...Outdoors...late in the season at the Raliegh Relays she placed 4th with a PR (17:36.69) in the 5k...less than a month later she set another PR in the 10k at the Big South Outdoor Championships.
2010-11: Cross Country...debuted at the Royal Cross Country Challenge with a time of 18:39...earned All-Conference honors with her 9th place showing at the Big South Conference Championships (18:33)...ran the 6th fastest time in school history for the 6k at NCAA Regional's (22:33)...Indoors...won the mile at ASU Open with a time of 5:21.04...ran 5:15.09 in the mile at the Kent Taylor Invitational...ran a personal record of 10:24.36 (3k) at the Niswonger Invitational...placed 4th in the mile at the Dick Taylor Invitational running a personal record of 5:06.07, which is also the 5th fastest time in school history...at the Big South Conference meet she placed 4th, 2nd & 5th in the 3k, 1 mile & 5k, respectively...all of her times placed her in the top five all-time performances, 3rd - 3k, 5th - 1 mi & 3rd - 5k, running 10:10.38, 5:04.78, 17:56.59...Outdoors...won the 800m at the Palmetto Classic (2:17.81)...placed 2nd at the 49er Classic in the 5k running 17:47.15...won the Beynon Catamount Classic 1500m running 4:41.83.
2009-10: Solid contributor during her freshman year...placed 9th at the Big South Preview meet...ran a season best of 18:42 during the cross country season...All-Conference performer in cross country with her 10th place showing...broke the Freshman Record at the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships (22:52)...placed 8th & 9th at the Big South Indoor Championships in the 3k & 1 mile...placed 6th at the 49er Classic running 17:48.33 which qualified her for USATF Junior Nationals in Des Moines, IA...placed 11th at USATF Junior Nationals with at time of 18:34.23.
Before UNC Asheville: Attended Oak Ridge High School...Tennessee Prep Xtra Cross Country Runner of the Year junior year...TN Region 2 Cross Country Champion senior year...TN All-State in Cross Country sophomore, junior, and senior year...named the Prep Xtra Cross Country TN first team four consecutive times (track and cross country)...awarded MVP in cross country and track sophomore, junior, and senior year...finished 3rd in the 3200m, 4th in 1600, and 5th in 4x800 junior year...Oak Ridge won Region 2 Cross Country Championships all 4 years...Cross Country State Champions junior year...Cross Country State Runner-Up sophomore and senior year...4x800 Runner-Ups at the TN State Track Meet sophomore year ...track DMR school record...4x800 State Bound all four years...career bests of 1:02 (400m), 2:22 (800m), 5:09 (1600m), 11:10 (3200m), 18:20 (5k)...has played the piano for ten years.
Collegiate Bests:
800m - 2:17.81
1500m - 4:39.09
1 mile - 5:04.78
3k - 10:10.38
5k - 17:36.69
6k xc - 22:33
10k-36:56.61
