Andy Morris Sports Beat

Appalachian State University men's soccer coach Aidan Heaney resigned his position and will take over for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, which competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. He inherits a team that finished 4-15-1 overall and 1-7 in the conference.

Heaney was in his second season for the Mountaineers and took the team to the Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament final before losing to nationally ranked Furman University 4-1.

He also received the SoCon Coach of the Year award for a 13-7 overall record and a 6-2 record in the conference, good enough for a share of second place.

The Mountaineers finished ranked eighth in the South Region. He left Appalachian with a 21-17 record.

Heaney told the team he was leaving the week before Spring Break and said it was due to "personal reasons," according to freshman Bobby Maloney.

Maloney, from Fayetteville, was recruited by Heaney to the Mountaineers. Heaney's departure came as a total surprise to Maloney.

"I'd heard some rumors about it, but it was still a big surprise," he said. "I was a little upset that he left because he recruited me, but there's nothing wrong with looking out for your family."

Despite the surprise to the team, Appalachian Director of Athletics Roachel Laney said that he and Heaney maintained an open relationship about the job for almost a month.

"We talked about where he wanted to go and where he was in his personal life," he said. "I was very aware of the situation."

With the job now vacant, Appalachian must advertise for 30 days before they can interview any applicants. Laney plans to go over resumes in mid-April and said it will take several weeks to go through applications.

"We want to bring someone on board as soon as possible," he said. "We look to do that by at least the end of the school year."

As far as the recruits that Heaney signed, they are bound to the Mountaineers. "Those recruits that signed a national letter of intent signed it with the institution," said Laney. "It is an NCAA rule that those recruits attend Appalachian."

Heaney was quoted on the UNCW athletics Web site as being pleased with the state of the Appalachian soccer program. "I'm proud of the players we recruited at Appalachian," he said.

"I'm also proud of the fact that the program is in a lot healthier state than when I found it. There's a good foundation to continue on."

Although the team does not have a head coach yet, they are still continuing with their spring workouts, including a match with the Carolina Dynamo, a professional team in Division III of the United Soccer League.

Assistant coach Bryan Cunningham has been running the team until a head coach is hired.

"The team is really happy with him," said Maloney. "He's built our confidence up a lot and really inspired us to our potential."

James Nix Club/Intramural Sports

The Appalachian State University Cycling Club held its own in an Atlantic Coast Cycling Conference (ACCC) race this past weekend, with two racers finishing in the top five positions.

Appalachian hosted the race, which stretched 12 miles.

The race went from Valle Crucis Elementary School to the top of Beech Mountain and included a 3000-foot, uphill climb.

The race included clubs from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Va. Tech), the University of Virginia, West Virginia University (WVU), the United States Naval Academy, North Carolina State University (NCSU), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill along with several others.

"All of the clubs did a great job," said club president Kelsey Oliver. "West Virginia did an excellent job as a team to finish as well at they did."

Steve Gergley of WVU finished first place in the Men's A category. Brock Helms was the top ASU racer, finishing fourth. Dylan Taylor finished right behind Helms at fifth.

For the Women's A category, Mountaineer Kathleen Billington finished in first place.

ASU's Ryan Gamm finished first in the Men's B category and Betsy Patrick finished first in the Women's B category.

"It was a tough race," said Oliver. "We had two guys finish in the top five, and that's great."

Members of the ASU AHO Rugby Club course-marshaled the race. The rugby club helped direct traffic and maintain the finish line.

"Every race needs course marshals," said Patrick May of the AHO Rugby Club. "We were happy to oblige the Cycling Club during this race."

Oliver appreciated the AHO Rugby help and plans to have his club help run the Second Annual Rucktoberfest in October.

The ASU Cycling Club is currently ranked third in the ACCC, but was ranked first a few weeks ago.

The club has won several races this year, including a race in Raleigh hosted by NCSU, where the club won the team category.

The club also won the team category at a race hosted by the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Along with its high standings in the ACCC, ASU has the top ranked men's rider (Taylor) and the second-place women's rider (Billington) in the ACCC.

"This is the best season we've had," said Oliver. "We've never been able to make it to nationals before, and it looks like we might be able to this year."

Most of the club's riders will return next year, which should allow for another great seaon.

Next on ASU's plate is a race in West Virginia hosted by WVU.