UNC Asheville Athletics • June 2017 Bulldog Bites Bulldogs End Year on National Stage Matthew Harding competes at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships 2 • Bulldog Bites June 2017 UNC Asheville Chancellor Mary K. Grant to Serve as Big South Conference President HILTON HEAD, S.C. – UNC Asheville the league over the short couple of years that Division I athletics conference,” Grant said be a high-impact experience within higher Chancellor Mary K. Grant will serve as the she’s been at UNC Asheville,” Kallander from the spring meetings. education.” Big South Conference President for the next said from the spring meetings. “We’re ex- UNC Asheville Director of Athletics Janet two years. cited to have her at the helm.” R. Cone knows that the league will definite- Big South Conference Executive Of- The official announcement of the new Ex- Grant is really excited to have the opportu- ly continue to grow with Grant as President ficers ecutive Officers in the league was made by nity to continue to build the league over the of the Executive Officers. President – Mary K. Grant, UNC Ashe- Big South Conference Commissioner Kyle coming years. “I have the privilege to work with Chan- ville Kallander on Friday, June 2, as the meeting “I’m looking forward to continuing to cellor Grant daily, and I know that she will Vice President – W. Taylor Reveley IV, of Chief Executive Officers concluded the build upon our strategic brand to strengthen strive to make the Big South the best it can Longwood annual spring meetings. the conference and to see how we can con- be under her watch,” Cone said. “She pas- Executive Committee – Brad Creed, “She’s already shown great leadership in tinue to turn the Big South into the strongest sionately believes that college athletics can Campbell June 2017 Bulldog Bites • 3 Harding Tabbed as Honorable Mention All-American by USTFCCCA NEW ORLEANS – Matthew Harding of UNC Asheville officially closed out his im- pressive freshman year by being tabbed an NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field All-American by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTF- CCCA). Harding garnered Honorable Mention All- America accolades in the 800 meters. “I think it’s a great cap to his year to be an Honorable Mention All-American,” UNC Asheville track and field head coach Jesse Norman said. “It’s super-exciting for him as a freshman and for us as a program. It’s already paying off big for us as a program with ev- eryone seeing him and UNC Asheville in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Champion- ships in Eugene on ESPN. The other exciting element about it is that we can show everybody else on our team that you can go to UNC Ashe- ville and be an All-American. I am excited to see how this all plays out during the fall and the coming years.” Honorable Mention accolades went to those that finished 17th through 24th in their event at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. First-team honors went to the student-athletes from individual events and relay teams that finished first through eighth, while those who finished ninth through 16th earned second-team honors. Running in heat three in the national semi- finals of the 800 meters that were carried live on ESPN, Harding posted a time of 1:49.71 to finish sixth in his heat. Harding originally advanced to the national semifinals by posting a personal-record time of 1:47.92 in the national quarterfinals of the 800 meters on Friday, May 26, at the NCAA East Regional Preliminary in Lexington, Ky. His time in the national quarterfinals is a school- record and the second-best time in Big South Conference history in the 800 meters. The Big South Indoor and Outdoor Fresh- man of the Year and the league’s 2017 indoor and outdoor 800m champion, Harding enters his sophomore season owning two of the three top times in the 800 meters in conference his- tory. The season may officially be over now for the Conwy, North Wales native, but he is quick to point out that “it’s still been far and away the best year of my life in sport.” To learn more about UNC Asheville track and field, please visit uncabulldogs.com. You can also like UNC Asheville track and field and cross country on Twitter at @UNCABull- dogXCTF and on Instagram at @uncaxctf. 4 • Bulldog Bites June 2017 Patten Ends Year Ranked Regionally by ITA ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Ashe- ville men’s tennis sophomore standout Henry Patten closed out his impressive 2017 season with a top-15 regional ranking in the Carolina Region Rank- ings administered by the Intercolle- giate Tennis Association. Patten is ranked 14th in the final Or- acle/ITA Division I Rankings – Caro- lina of the 2017 season. Unranked in the region entering the 2017 season, Patten was tabbed 118th nationally in the Oracle/ITA Division I Collegiate Rankings that were re- leased on April 18, 2017. The national ranking in April came after a stellar regular-season for Pat- ten that saw the sophomore from Man- ningtree, Essex, U.K. go undefeated at the No. 1 singles position. Patten’s 19-0 record at the conclusion of the regular-season allowed him to become the first in program history to achieve an undefeated regular-season at No. 1 singles. He won every match but one in singles in straight sets dur- ing the regular-season. “This is an incredible achievement for Henry,” UNC Asheville men’s ten- nis head coach Tom Hand said at the time of Patten’s national ranking. “We knew he had it in him at some point, but for him to be recognized among the best in the country as a sophomore is fantastic. It will only serve as en- couragement to see how high he can go in the future.” Throughout the course of the reg- ular-season, Patten managed to earn himself back-to-back Big South Men’s Tennis Player of the Week awards for matches played Jan. 23-29 as well as Feb. 27-March 6. The 2017 Big South Men’s Tennis Player of the Year, Patten would over- all close out his 2017 campaign at 20-1 at No. 1 singles. In his two seasons with the Bulldogs, Patten is now 34-4 overall in singles. A two-time All-Big South selection in both singles and doubles, Patten and senior Josh Swindler finished the 2017 season at 20-1 at No. 1 doubles. The duo concluded their final doubles cam- paign together having won 16 straight to close out the season. Patten and Swindler in their two years together as a duo were 34-4. To learn more about UNC Asheville men’s tennis, please visit uncabull- dogs.com. You can also follow UNC Asheville men’s tennis on Instagram (@UNCATennis) and Twitter (@UN- CATennis). June 2017 Bulldog Bites • 5 Are You #AllinforAsheville? Alone you can make an impact. To- rience that is essential to a UNC Asheville • Community Engagement, broadening mark your calendars and go #AllinforAshe- gether we can make a difference. education, including: partnerships in the city, region, state ville on June 15! and beyond From June 15-30, we are asking alumni, • Rigorous Academics, where students Want to get involved today? Sign up to be- parents, faculty, staff and friends to go are challenged inside and outside of When you go #AllinforAsheville, you sup- come a social media ambassador! #AllinforAsheville. Make a gift of any size the classroom port a campus where students are inspired and help UNC Asheville reach 700 dona- • Student Success, providing scholar- to invent, innovate, and change the world. Make Your Gift Now: https:// tions by June 30. ships, professional and personal Your investment helps keep UNC Asheville www.givecampus.com/schools/Uni- growth opportunities, and high-im- ranked as one of the top public liberal arts versityofNorthCarolinaatAsheville/ Your gifts fuel the dynamic campus expe- pact learning experiences colleges in the country, year after year. So allinforasheville/?a=563671 2017 UNC Asheville Summer Camps Baseball June 19-23 July 17-20 Junior Premier Academy (Ages 10-14) Youth Camp (Boys Age 6-12) Baseball Summer Camp Website: http:// July 10-14 baseball.uncasportsacademy.com/ Technical Skills Camp (Ages 6-14) July 17-21 Men’s Basketball Day Camp (Ages 6-14) June 12-15 Individual Camp I (Boys Ages 6 and Up) July 29 College ID Camp (Females Grades 9-12) June 16-17 Women’s Soccer Summer Camp Web- Team Camp (JV and Varsity Boys Women’s Basketball Men’s Soccer site: https://campscui.active.com/orgs/ Teams) June 22 and 23 May 16-August 1 AshevillePlayersAcademy#/selectSes- High Intensity Camp (Advanced Players) Speed and Agility Clinic (Ages 12-18) sions/1920001 June 19-22 Individual Camp II (Boys Ages 6 and June 23 and 24 July 30-August 1 Volleyball Up) Team Camp (Varsity and JV High School College ID Camp (Boys Grade 9-12) July 17-19 and AAU Teams) Men’s Soccer Camp Website: http:// Day/Overnight Camps (Girls Ages 10-18) August 12 menssoccer.uncasportsacademy.com/ Elite Camp (Boys Grades 9-12) June 26-29 July 27-28 Men’s Basketball Summer Camp Web- Individual Day Camp (Ages 6-14) Women’s Soccer Day/Overnight Camps (Girls Ages 10-18) site: http://mensbasketball.uncasportsacad- Women’s Basketball Summer Camp May 13 Volleyball Summer Camp Website: emy.com/index.cfm Website: http://abcsportscamps.com/ashe- 4v4 Tournament and Skills Academy http://volleyball.uncasportsacademy.com/ villewbb (Ages 6-14) index.cfm 6 • Bulldog Bites June 2017 Baseball Makes Positive Strides in Year-Three of Friedholm Era ASHEVILLE, N.C.