BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Union College head coach Chuck Coffey believes this season's edition of the Bulldog cycling team promises to be the program's strongest squad in its 12-year history.

Union returns four riders that finished in the Top-21 at last year's NCCA National Championship Men's Cross Country event. In addition, Union has four riders returning with six NCCA Ominum All-American honors between them.

Zach Winn (Port Hope, Canada) captured the 2008 NCCA Ominum National Championship. The junior also has two MidWest Collegiate Cycling Conference Rider of the Year awards. He is one of the seven expert riders on the men's side Coffey. Winn posted two second-place rides at the national championship en route to the ominum championship.

A quartet of seniors, Greg Gibson (Provo, Utah), German Bermudez (Louisville, Ky.), Jonathan Turner (Harlan, Ky.) and Justin Becker (Loveland, Ohio), only add to the depth of expert riders.

Becker returns to the team and was a NCCA All-American in 2002 and 2003 as well as a member of Union's 2002 NCCA National Championship squad. Gibson has two straight All-American honors to his credit. Turner posted a tenth-place finish in the ominum standings at nationals last season while Bermudez was ninth in the standings.

Brad Nelson (Carmel, Ind.) provided an eighth-place finish at nationals as a freshman last year and looks to improve on that this season.

Adding to the expert riders is newcomer Wesley Lamberson (Limestone, Tenn.), who brings a wealth of experience from various cycling events across the country.

Coffey looks forward to what the largest group of expert male riders in program can do this season.

Also adding to the squad is senior Zac Moore (Loveland, Ohio). He has been a four-year member of the squad and provided numerous Top-20 finishes last season.

The women's side has just as much depth; however, only two riders with collegiate experience. At the top is Rachel Millsop (Springdale, Ark.), who was a NCCA All-American thanks to a fourth-place finish in the omnium standings. She posted three Top-5 finishes at last year's championship. Millsop also won the MWCCC Rider of the Year, becoming Union's first female rider to earn the conference award.

"Rachel has a tremendous work ethic," Coffey said about Millsop. "She is also eager to help teammates however she can."

Emily Yeager (Dry Ridge, Ky.) is the only other returnee on the women's side with previous collegiate ride time.

Coffey added four riders to the roster, Tara Gambrel (Middlesboro, Ky.), Kayleen Hiatt (Kettering, Ohio), Kassie Patterson (Sevierville, Tenn.), and Martika Wills (Clarksville, Tenn.).

Coffey commented on how he wanted someone within the newcomers to step up and be a force in conference races. He is not putting a lot of pressure on the group but is hoping this will be a learning year for the newcomers.

Union will also move from the MidWest Collegiate Cycling Conference into the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference this season. Union captured five MWCCC championships since 2002, including the 2008 overall championship.

The Bulldogs will open the season this weekend at East Tennessee State University.