Wingate, N.C.----The 2011-12 Bulldog men’s golf season started with promising freshmen and experienced upperclassmen playing well and eager to get to the first tournament in Prosperity, S.C. against a top conference rival (Newberry College) and many other top-ranked teams like UNC Pembroke.

The Wingate Bulldog golf team has always had a chip on our shoulder to prove we are a top team not only in the conference, but in the country. This fact motivated the whole team and our coach (Corey Iacofano) to get the season off to a hot start and win the first event…and we did. It was a two-hour wait after I had holed my 10-foot par putt on the 36th hole of the day before we found out we had won the tournament by five shots…and we were off to the start we envisioned.

The next week, we headed to St. Augustine, Fla., where it was at least 80 degrees and senior Randy Brill decided to wear his Jacksonville Jaguars toboggan because they were playing the Carolina Panthers…we all made sure he knew it was a little too warm for this toboggan… After we ate, we had a practice round on a new beautiful course and we were ready to play against many top 20 teams in the nation. Two long days on the golf course and 54 holes later, we had finished in second place. We weren’t super excited about second, but when we put things in perspective, a second place in a tournament of this stature last year would have felt like a national championship, so it was a pretty good week for the Wingate Bulldogs golf team.

The third event of the season was a team favorite not only because of the win, but the festivities that the team got into after the rounds at the House of Blues and the awesome cookouts that week. This was also a special week because junior Brian Denton was in a play-off to win the tournament individually. Even though he did not come out on top, the whole team was there to support him and it was a great reminder that even though we all want to win individually and as a team, we supported him like we were his brothers, hoping he would win.

Finally, we headed to Tanglewood Golf Course in Winston-Salem to a tournament that traditionally is a very important tournament because it will either build momentum going into the spring or knock a team back. We took a major step forward when we came in second and were right there in the end as a team. It made us realize that we can’t win them all, but we are good enough to win every tournament we start. The event gave everyone so much confidence leading into the off-season.

We are a top 15 team in the nation and could very well be national champions in 2012 if we continue to be focused and committed like we were this past fall. We reached as high as eighth in the nation at one point; we will be going for the number one spot in the spring. This thought makes me very proud to be a senior Bulldog golfer!

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.
 
Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.
 
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.
 
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 42 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.