Asheville’s tennis teams will be living and practicing at High Point University. Its swim teams will stay at Gardner-Webb University. The golf teams will be head to Wofford College next week.
Cone is still working to get all the school’s athletes placed, including the school’s basketball teams as part of what she called “a logistical puzzle with a whole lot of pieces.”
But she’s confident the school will get through it.
“The world of college sports is a really tight-knit group,” Cone said. “It’s been really heartening for me to see. So many people have gone out of their way to help us. I’ve received calls from schools all over the state and all over the country saying, ‘what can we do?’ There is a lot of trouble in this world and people sometimes do crazy things, but at times like this it
makes you feel good to the see the care in people’s hearts.”
UNC Asheville isn’t the only college impacted by the hurricane. Schools such as Tusculum, Lees-McRae, Western Carolina, North Greenville, Appalachian State and Montreat are among those whose campuses were hit hard, including sports facilities. Fall sports schedules are severely disrupted.
Still, colleges
and high school sports teams are finding their way.
With no water available in Greene County (Tennessee), Division II college Tusculum had its teams leave the Greeneville campus with help from sports rivals, a pair of former Tusculum coaches, alumni, friends and neighbors. Josh Ealy, Tusculum’s vice president for athletics, said the school won’t be able to do anything on campus until water service resumes.
Tusculum’s football team is staying in spare space at a residence hall and eating on campus at rival Carson-Newman in Jefferson City. The Pioneers are practicing at Jefferson County High School, which is coached by Spencer Riley, who was Tusculum’s offensive line coach for seven seasons.
The Pioneers’ women’s soccer team is in Baneberry, Tennessee, with former head coach Mike Joy reaching out to family and friends to host the players. Joy helped coach many of the current players who are practicing at Lakeway Christian Academy in White Pine.
The men’s soccer team accepted help from rival Lincoln Memorial University to stay, eat and train on campus in Harrogate.
