General | 8/24/2017 10:08:00 AM

Wingate, N.C.----Six new members will be added to the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies on Friday evening, Nov. 3. The induction will be part of a Blue Carpet Gala which will include Wingate University Alumni Awards in addition to the Sports Hall of Fame recognitions. The Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies are sponsored by OrthoCarolina.
 
The Wingate Sports Hall of Fame class of 2017 includes basketball guard Tanetra Barrett ('07), volleyball middle blocker Rebecca Brezovec Bass ('07), men's soccer head coach Gary Hamill ('94, '08), football defensive back David Jones ('07), softball student-athlete Grace Cunningham Messer ('06) and swimming student-athlete Dr. Laura Gold Watterson ('07).
 
"It is more than enjoyable to revisit and recount some of the very best moments and individuals which add up to the story of Wingate University and Bulldog athletics," WU Athletic Foundation and Bulldog Club director Bill Nash says. "This is the work of the Sports Hall of Fame selection committee. I do thank the committee for its spirit in this task and for the good work in presenting the Wingate Sports Hall of Fame Class for 2017. This is a most accomplished group of Wingate Bulldog greats."
 
Tanetra Barrett was a four-year starter for Sports Hall of Fame head coach Johnny Jacumin and the Bulldogs. A two-time All-American, Barrett scored 2005 career points while helping Wingate win four SAC regular season championships in her four seasons. The Bulldogs made three NCAA appearances during her tenure.
 
Barrett was All-SAC three years, All-Region two years and the SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year two years each. She was Wingate's Pipes Award winner for female Athlete of the Year following her junior and senior seasons. Barrett was named to the SAC All-Freshman team following her first year at Wingate.
 
Rebecca Brezovec Bass was a two-time Academic All-America® selection for head coach Shelton Collier. Brezovec Bass was named Academic All-America® of the Year (by CoSIDA) following her senior season. The same academic year, she was SAC Player of the Year, Wingate Athlete of the Year (Pipes Award), NCAA post-graduate scholarship recipient and SAC Presidents' Award winner. Brezovec Bass won the Haskins Award (top student-athlete GPA), the Helms Award (top overall student GPA) and the Burris Award (top overall student) in the spring of her senior year.
 
Brezovec Bass was All-SAC, All-South Region and SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner two years each. Wingate made the NCAA tournament three of her four years. Her senior year statistics line includes a .328 hitting percentage, a 3.97 kills average (409 kills in 30 matches) and a 1.02 blocks average as Wingate's top middle blocker.

Gary Hamill led Wingate University men's soccer to the school's first-ever NCAA Division II national championship in 2016. Hamill's career record in 25 years at the Wingate helm is 306-148-27 overall. During his time on the WU sidelines, Wingate has won 10 SAC championships and appeared in eight NCAA tournaments.
 
A six-time SAC Coach of the Year honoree, Hamill has mentored seven SAC Player of the Year award winners and 19 NCAA Division II All-Americans. Hamill's involvement on NCAA and NSCAA committees is deep. He founded the Wingate International Soccer Academy (WISA) in 1994. WISA will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2018.
 
Hamill has been a member of the Wingate Town Council for the last seven years. Previously, Hamill was affiliated with the Mecklenburg Union Futbol Club (MUFC) until 2012. He served as President of the MUFC Board of Directors and as Executive Director of Coaching during his time with the group.
 
David Jones was an AFCA and d2football.com first team All-American as a senior for head coach Joe Reich. A Hula Bowl participant following his final Bulldog season, Jones was a two-time All-SAC first team pick. Jones had four interceptions as senior to give him a career total of 15. Jones scored five career touchdowns (three on defense and two on offense).
 
Jones was selected in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Jones was the 145th overall pick in the draft. He was the first Bulldog in the school's senior college history to be selected in the NFL draft. Jones played six years in the NFL with the Saints, the Bengals, the Jaguars and the Redskins.
 
Grace Cunningham Messer was a four-year All-SAC selection for head coach Michelle Caddigan. Cunningham Messer was a first team All-SAC choice her final two years as she earned a spot on the first team All-Southeast Region squad as a senior
 
During Wingate's record-setting 2006 season, Cunningham Messer posted school-record totals of 16 home runs, 84 hits and 67 RBI while batting .412 as the Bulldogs recorded the most hits in SAC history. Wingate's runs and batting average are second on the all-time SAC charts, while the team's 47 victories is the seventh-most in the league record books. Cunningham Messer's 149 total bases in 2006 is the second-most in SAC history.
 
Cunningham Messer is one of the most versatile Bulldogs in the team's storied history, as she played every position (save catcher) during her career. She finished her Bulldog tenure with career totals of 214 hits, 24 home runs, 40 doubles and 127 RBI.
 
Dr. Laura Gold Watterson was the first Wingate NCAA swimming All-American (HM, 200 Breaststroke, 2004) for head coach Kirk Sanocki. Gold Watterson was the first Wingate student-athlete to score at the NCAA Division II championships in 2004. She was All-Bluegrass Mountain Conference 16 times (11 individual, five relays).
 
An eight-time BMC champion (three individual, five relays), Gold Watterson led Wingate to two BMC team championship titles in 2004 and 2005. She was Wingate's MVP following her sophomore and junior seasons. Gold made the BMC All-Academic Team four times and the CSCAA Scholastic All-American team three times.
 
Part of the Wingate University Blue Carpet Gala, the WU Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will begin on Friday evening, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in the LaVerne Banquet Hall. Tickets for the induction ceremonies banquet are $25 per person. For more information about the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame, contact committee chairman Bill Nash at 704-233-8121 or via E-mail at bilnash@wingate.edu. For ticket information, please contact Gavin Johnson in the Alumni and Parent Relations office at 704-233-8322 or via E-mail at ga.johnson@wingate.edu.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,400 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 11 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 96 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 96 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 105 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.