FROM THE DESK OF AD CONEDear Bulldogs:
UNC Asheville Athletics is excited to provide you with our 2015-16 Annual Report. This document
highlights many of the achievements of our Student-Athletes, Coaches, and Team behind the Team
Members and confirms that we are committed to working hard, demonstrating integrity, caring about
others, fostering a culture of respect, and being creative.
As you review the annual report, you will notice that all 15 NCAA Division I Sports once again competed for
or won championships, experienced a comprehensive student-athlete experience, and excelled
academically. We had much to celebrate in 2015-16.
We hope that you are proud to be associated with the Bulldogs and want to thank you again for your
generosity and support in helping us to develop “Champions in Athletics and Leaders in Life”. You
absolutely do make a difference in the lives of Bulldog Student-Athletes, and your investments were not
only appreciated but were vital to our success.
With your continue support we look forward to kicking off “The Pursuit of Greatness” Campaign in 2016-17
and celebrating even more championships in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. Thank
you again for being on the Bulldog Team.
Sincerely,
Janet R. Cone
Director of Athletics & Senior Administrator for University Enterprises
BASEBALL
2015-16 individual and team
awards
JOE TIETJEN– BIG SOUTH
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Season Recap:
11th in Conference
MEN’S BASKETBALL
2015-16 individual and team awards
Dylan smith – big south freshman of the week
Dylan smith – great Alaska shootout all-tournament
team
Dylan smith – college sports madness big south player of
the week
Dylan smith – big south conference all-freshman team
Dylan smith – big south conference honorable mention
ALL-CONFERENCE
Dwayne Sutton – 4x big south freshman of the week
Dwayne Sutton – collegiate sports big south player of the
week
Dwayne Sutton – big south conference tournament most
valuable player
Ahmad Thomas –big south conference all-tournament
team
Nick McDevitt – hoops ad big south coach of the year
KEVIN VANNATTA- Big South’S NCAA NAtioNAl SAAC
Representative
Ahmad Thomas- Second Team All State (NCCSIA)
Sam Hughes- Second Team All State (NCCSIA)
NCAA Tournament Appearance.
Women’s Basketball
2015-16 individual and team awards
• Tianna Knuckles – College sports madness big south
player of the week
• Tianna knuckles – big south player of the week
• JA’dA brayboy – college sports madness big south player
of the week
• Chatori major – college sports madness big south
player of the week
• Chatori major – big south player of the week
• Sonora dengokl – big south freshman of the week
• Tianna knuckles – 2nd team ALL-CONFERENCE
• Chatori major – big south conference player of the
year
• Brenda mock Kirkpatrick – big south conference coach
of the year
• Tianna knuckles – big south conference tournament
all-tournament team
• Chatori major – big south conference tournament
most valuable player
• CHATORI MAJOR-FIRST TEAM ALL STATE (nccsia)
• TIANNA KNUCKLES- SECOND TEAM ALL STATE (NCCSIA)
• PAIGE LOVE- RECIPIENT OF WILLIAM AND IDA FRIDAY AWARD
• NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE
CROSS COUNTRY
2015-16 individual and team
awards
• SARAH HEISNER – BIG SOUTH
CONFERENCE ALL-CONFERENCE
HONORS
• WomeN’S CroSS CouNtry
received the 2015-16 Big
South Team Sportsmanship
Award
Season Recap:
Men- 5th in Conference
Women- 4th in Conference
MEN’S SOCCER
Chuka Anyafo – big south co-attacking
player of the week
Zach joens – 2nd team ALL-CONFERENCE
Andrew sotak – big south ALL-TOURNAMENT
team 2015
2015-16 individual and team awards
Season Recap:
7th in Conference
WOMEN’S SOCCER
2015-16 individual and
team awards
Lily brown – big south defensive player
of the week
Paige trent – big south attacking
player of the week
Caroline houser – 2nd team ALL-
CONFERENCE
Emma houser – 2nd team ALL-CONFERENCE
Justine james – big south all-freshman
team
Emma houser – big south tournament
all-tournament team
Caroline houser, emma houser, paige
trent – nc collegiate sports
information directors association
(NCCSIA) 2nd team all state
Season Recap:
6th in Conference
SWIMMING
2015-16 individual and team awards
• Morgan Rulevich – unc Asheville first ever ncaa “B”
cut provisional time in 200 yd breaststroke
• Elizabeth lykins – 2016 co-ccsa coach of the year
• Selected by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches
Association of America for Scholar all-American
Team. This is the 8th consecutive semester that the
swimming team has received this honor.
Season Recap:
7th in Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Conference
MEN’S TENNIS
• Henry patten – big south freshman of the week
• Henry patten – big south ALL-CONFERENCE
singles 1st team
• Thomas panoulas– 2nd team ALL-CONFERENCE
singles
• Josh swindler – 2nd team ALL-CONFERENCE singles
• Alex croker/brett landau – 1st team ALL-
CONFERENCE doubles
• Henry patten/josh swindler – 2nd team ALL-
CONFERENCE doubles
2015-16 individual and team awards
Season Recap:
2nd in Conference
WOMEN’S TENNIS
2015-16 individual and team awards
• Hannah Francisco – big south
freshman of the week
• Christin louw – big south
freshman of the week
• Hannah Francisco – big south
conference 2nd team ALL-
CONFERENCE singles
Season Recap:
6th in Conference
TRACK & FIELD
2015-16 individual and team awards
• The Women’s 4x400m relay placed
third with a time of 3:49.89. This
time gives the quartet of Kayli
Nichols, Alyssa Lashway, Argia
Gibson and Anna Gelbach a new
Asheville program record.
• Men’s Outdoor Track and Field
received the 2015-16 Big South Team
Sportsmanship Award
Season Recap:
Men’s Indoor Track-7th in Conference
Women’s Indoor Track- 9th in Conference
Men’s Outdoor Track- 8th in Conference
Women’s Outdoor Track- 9th in Conference
VOLLEYBALL
• Cameron pryor – big south
defensive player of the week
• Chrissy Lakatos – big south
attacking player of the week
• Chrissy Lakatos – 2nd team ALL-
CONFERENCE
• Madison Vaughn – 2nd team
ALL-CONFERENCE
2015-16 individual and team awards
Season Recap:
4th in Conference
2016 BULLDOG ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP GOLF
CLASSIC
• The Tournament was held on August 24 and 25, 2015 at the
Country Club of Asheville.
• We raised over $105,000 for the Student-Athlete Scholarship
Fund.
2015 HALL OF FAME
• On October 23, 2015, Mike Gore was inducted into the Hall of
Fame. For almost three decades, Mike exhibited an
unwavering commitment to his duties and the student-athletes
who crossed his path, helping guide the athletics department.
His contributions have left an indelible mark on the school he
called home.
STUDENT-ATHLETE ALUMNI EVENTS
TRACK & FIELD ALUMNI REUNION VOLLEYBALL ALUMNI REUNION
SOCCER ALUMNI REUNION ALUMNI PANEL
BASEBALL ALUMNI REUNION
BASEBALL NIGHT IN ASHEVILLE
• The third annual event was sold out with
approximately 250 attendees, including
many baseball alumni on hand to ring in
the new season. The night’s keynote
speaker was North Carolina native and St.
Louis Cardinals pitcher Mitch Harris, who
became the first Navy graduate to reach
the Majors in 94 years when he made his
debut on April 25, 2015. The event also
included live and silent auctions. The
evening raised $20,000 for Bulldog
Baseball travel and equipment needs for
this year’s team, and attendees also
contributed over $25,000 towards a turf
grant initiative that was announced at the
event.
OUR TURN TO PLAY
• With a crowd of approximately 368 community leaders, student-
athletes and coaches in attendance, the event raised over
$31,000 in support of UNC Asheville’s female student-athlete
scholarship fund, the second-highest since the event began.
The Luncheon was headlined by keynote speaker, Leslie Allen,
an International Tennis Association Hall of Fame member, and
Founder of the Leslie Allen Foundation. A product of Title IX,
Allen shared her story of becoming the first girl in the state of
Ohio to compete on a boy’s high school tennis team, and how
that experience shaped her career and made her who she is
today. She implored current female student-athletes to do
everything possible to make sure that it stays “Our Turn To Play.”
• The event also featured the presentation of the 2016 Trailblazer
Award, accepted by Asheville’s own head Women’s Tennis
Coach, Lise Gregory. Gregory shared her story of how she
began playing tennis with the boys she grew up with in South
Africa and how accepting a scholarship to the University of
Miami changed her life. With that opportunity, she became a
world-ranked professional doubles player, a head coach at
Florida State University and the head of the men’s and women’s
tennis program at UNC Asheville. She described the importance
of that scholarship and what an important role that athletics has
played in her life.
ASHPY’S
• The UNC Asheville Athletic Department celebrated its
student-athletes at the annual Asheville Sports Honors and
Performance Yearly (ASHPY) Awards.
• ASHPY awards were handed out to Bulldog student-athletes,
coaches and community members, in addition to senior
videos.
BULLDOG ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION BOARD
2015-16 Bulldog Athletic Association
Board
Bruce Goforth………Chair
Ben Lewis……..Vice-Chair
Randy Davis…….Secretary
Darlene Davis…..Treasurer
Wilma Sherrill…Past-Chair
Donna Bailey Keith Black
Mike Burke Rich Davis
Junius Grimes Bill Newman
Anne Payne Al Whitesides, Jr.
John Williams
Anna Gelbach- Student-Athlete Representative
Reid Jackson- Student-Athlete Representative
BULLDOG ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION• Raised more than $332,000 for student-athlete support and scholarships.
In addition, you contributed over $230,000 to special projects including
our Homerun Campaign and Campaign for Women’s Golf.
Corporate Sponsors
• Raised over $330,000 in corporate sponsorships with over 70
corporate sponsors supporting the UNC Asheville Bulldogs.