Champions in Athletics, Leaders for Life
UNC Asheville Athletics exists to provide our University with an exemplary NCAA Division I Athletics Program that champions the University’s Mission and Strategic Plan, which creates an environment where student-athletes can pursue their academic, athletic and lifelong goals, and that connects our internal and external constituents and communities.
Core Values
UNC Asheville student athletes are positioned to lead in life and wins by:
- Demonstrating Integrity – Bulldogs do what is right;
- Being Servant Leaders – Bulldogs care about and help others achieve their dreams;
- Being Creative and Working Hard – Bulldogs succeed with less; and
- Fostering a Culture of Respect – Bulldogs honor, uphold, and promote sportsmanship, citizenship, equity, and inclusiveness.
History
UNC Asheville’s intercollegiate athletics has participated in NCAA Division I competition since 1986 and is a member of the Big South Conference. UNC Asheville offers 16 sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, soccer and tennis for men, and basketball, cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball for women.
UNC Asheville student-athletes consistently perform well in the classroom. In the past academic year, almost one-half of our student-athletes earned Dean’s List or Chancellor’s List honors. Women’s basketball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis earned national NCAA Academic Performance Rate (APR) recognition for their work in the classroom.
The 2016-17 UNC Asheville women’s basketball team won the Big South Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Seventh-seeded UNC Asheville became the first Big South Conference women’s basketball team to win four games in four days and claim the Big South Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, and the first seventh seed team to ever win the conference championship. The team’s league titles in 2007, 2016 and 2017 allowed the Bulldogs to join Radford and Liberty as the only three Big South Conference women’s basketball programs to make consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
UNC Asheville men’s basketball had another banner year in the 2016-17 season as the Bulldogs picked up their sixth regular-season title. The team’s tremendous season resulted in an invitation to the 2017 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The appearance in this year’s CIT marked UNC Asheville’s sixth appearance in a postseason tournament. UNC Asheville men’s basketball head coach Nick McDevitt was recognized as the Big South Conference Coach of the Year for the 2016-17 athletic year, and the NABC NCAA Division I District 3 Coach of the Year. The men’s basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times and to the NIT once. The Bulldogs won the 2012 Big South Tournament title in the first season inside Kimmel Arena in front of a sellout crowd and nationally-televised audience on ESPN. In 2011, UNC Asheville won its second NCAA Tournament game in the “First Four” and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The men’s basketball team also became the first Big South Conference team to be selected to the postseason National Invitation Tournament in 2008 after winning the league’s regular-season title.
Other teams winning Big South Conference Championships and advancing to the NCAA’s include Baseball in 2006 and Women’s Soccer in 2006.
Facilities
The UNC Asheville Athletics Department utilizes various on-campus and community facilities for its 16 NCAA Division I programs.
- Kimmel Arena seats 3,200 and is the home for both Men’s and Women’s Bulldog Basketball.
- The Sherrill Center, which houses the Kimmel Arena, has classrooms, labs, fitness rooms, a wellness café, and a demonstration kitchen.
- The Justice Center includes administrative offices, a 1,100-seat volleyball arena, locker rooms, sports medicine room, Olympic weight room, and an indoor swimming pool.
- The Student Recreation Center located adjacent to the Justice Center has an elevated track and multi-purpose courts.
- Outdoor athletic facilities on campus include Greenwood Fields for soccer and baseball and the Karl Straus Track.
- The Asheville Racquet Club, located minutes from campus, is the home for Men’s and Women’s Tennis and includes both indoor and outdoor courts.
- McCormick and Memorial Field located in downtown Asheville hosts several baseball and soccer competitions.
Students have free admission to all home regular season athletics events. More information about UNC Asheville athletics, including home competition dates, is available on the web at www.uncabulldogs.com/
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