Rock Hill, S.C.----For the sixth consecutive year, the Wingate University Bulldogs are winners of the prestigious SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award, league officials announced earlier this week. Wingate piled up 110 points in the 2011-12 season, which ranks second all-time, trailing only Wingate’s total from the 2010-11 season. The Bulldogs won the award by 20.5 points, the second-highest total ever, trailing Wingate’s 29-point victory last year.
The South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award is presented annually to the member athletic department that earns the highest overall finish based on final regular season standings. Points are based on final tournament standings in the sports of men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s golf and women’s golf. The trophy is presented at the SAC Annual Business Meeting at the conclusion of each year. The trophy is named in honor of former SAC Commissioner
Doug Echols.
“We are thrilled to once again win the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award,” Wingate vice-president and director of athletics
Steve Poston says. “We take great pride in the overall success of our athletic program.”
“This award validates the commitment to excellence from our coaches, assistant coaches and student-athletes,” Poston says. “While we are very proud of this incredible honor, we are equally proud of the successes our student-athletes achieve in the classroom and their passion for serving others in the community.”
Wingate got things started with a regular season title in volleyball, as the Bulldogs claimed their sixth consecutive regular season volleyball title, pushing their SAC winning streak to a league-record 82 matches. Wingate also got a second place finish from the women’s soccer team, who went on to win its first-ever SAC Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Third place finishes from the men’s and women’s cross country team helped Wingate enter the winter season in a tie atop the Echols Cup standings with Lenoir-Rhyne.
The Wingate women’s basketball team won the regular season SAC title and added a Food Lion SAC tournament title, while advancing to the NCAA Southeast Regional championship game. The Wingate men’s basketball team finished third in the regular season, winning the SAC tournament crown and advancing to the NCAA regional semifinals. The basketball teams helped Wingate take a 5.5 points lead over Lenoir-Rhyne heading to the spring season.
The Bulldogs took home three titles in the spring season to add to the margin. The men’s tennis team won the regular season SAC title, going undefeated in league play for the second straight year. The women’s tennis team tied for the regular season title, notching its second straight regular season championship. Both teams added SAC tournament titles, earning NCAA tournament bids. The men’s golf team notched its first-ever SAC tournament title, taking a 27-shot lead into the final round and claiming a 15-shot victory. The men’s golf team will play in the NCAA Southeast Regionals next week in Hickory.
Anderson (S.C.) placed second in the final standings, finishing with 89.5 points. Tusculum finished third with 84.5 points, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne at 81 and Lincoln Memorial at 77.5 to round out the top five. Wingate won four regular season SAC titles in the 2011-12 season, while winning seven of 13 SAC tournaments.
In Wingate’s six-year run of championships, the Bulldogs have piled up a total of 576.5 points. This total is 94 points more than second-place Carson-Newman and 111.5 points more than third-place Tusculum. Wingate’s first title came in the 2006-07 season, winning by 1.5 points. The next year the Bulldogs took home the title by a half point, followed by a 10-point victory in 2008-09. Wingate and Carson-Newman finished in a tie the following year, while the Bulldogs won in record-shattering fashion during the 2010-11 season, compiling a record 117.5 points to win by a record 29 points.
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 six 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.
(Wingate University assistant sports information director
Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)
2011-12 SAC ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE AWARD STANDINGS
1. Wingate 110
2. Anderson 89.5
3. Tusculum 84.5
4. Lenoir-Rhyne 81
5. LMU 77.5
6. Newberry 73
7. Carson-Newman 72
8. Catawba 71.5
9. Mars Hill 63
10. Brevard 45
LAST 6 YEARS (2007-12)EXCELLENCE AWARD STANDINGS
1. Wingate 576.5
2. Carson-Newman 482.5
3. Tusculum 465
4. Lenoir-Rhyne 427.5
5. Catawba 426.5
6. Newberry 413
7. Mars Hill 364.5
8. LMU 354.5
9. Anderson (2 years) 160
10. Brevard (3 years) 133
