Cassandra Perkins, a professional mountain bike rider originally from Greenville, S.C., has been named head mountain bike coach at Warren Wilson College, athletics director Stacey Enos has announced.

Perkins takes over the program from Art Shuster, who resigned this past fall after eight full seasons. He will remain at Warren Wilson as the director of counseling.  Shuster has led the mountain bike team to new heights during his tenure. The Owls have earned seven top three national finishes, including five silver medalist honors and five individual national champions.

"We are thrilled to have Cassandra on board," Enos said. "She is an impressive mountain bike rider who has achieved success at the professional level, she is an expert bike mechanic and her personal goals reflect what we expect from our student athletes."

Perkins said, "I am really looking forward to the challenging opportunity to coach the Warren Wilson mountain bike team in 2009. Art Shuster has created a really strong program that has been very successful. I am looking forward to building on this success and continuing to promote the great cycling talent that exists at Warren Wilson College."

Perkins has raced professionally since 2005 and has claimed several top national finishes, including 14 race wins over her career. The avid cyclist has also biked 2800 miles across Western Europe and 3060 miles across North America, and has been a member of the SoBe-Cannondale professional racing team.

Perkins graduated cum laude from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in product design. In her new position at Warren Wilson College, Perkins will be responsible for the oversight and operation of the mountain biking program.