Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men’s and women’s swimming teams host Lenoir-Rhyne University Saturday for Senior Day. The first event will take place at 11 a.m. in the Wingate University Natatorium. The Senior Day recognition ceremony will occur during the first break (following event 10).
 
The nationally-ranked Bulldog teams see their first action since a very successful Winter College Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla. Wednesday, Jan. 4. The number five Wingate men won the event, while the 22nd-ranked Bulldog women finished second among NCAA Division II schools. On Dec. 3, Wingate won both team titles at the Savannah College of Art and Design Invitational. The Bulldog men won their sixth consecutive SCAD Invite crown, while the Wingate women prevailed for the third straight year (and fifth time in six years).
           
Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki believes his teams are in a good place entering the Lenoir-Rhyne meet. “Although we are young, we have seen tremendous progress,” Sanocki says. “We believe our push for the conference championship and NCAAs we will once again see some outstanding team and individuals accomplishments.”  
 
“The men’s team has been focused on defending its BMC title for the fifth consecutive year,” Sanocki says. “They have high aspirations for the NCAA Championships in March, looking to improve on their fifth-place finish nationally.” The Bulldog men return all individual scorers from last year’s NCAA squad.
 
The Wingate women lost only one NCAA points contributor from last year’s squad. “After suffering their first-ever Division II dual meet loss in the 11-year history of the program, the women rebounded to have a great performance in defending their championship at the SCAD Invitational,” Sanocki says. “Since the SCAD event, our preparation for the second half has been outstanding. We are very optimistic about the upcoming competitions.”  
 
Wingate sophomore Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia) has five NCAA Division II men’s swimming top 10 times this year. He is third in the 400 Individual Medley (3:54.63) and the 1650 Freestyle (15:37.61). Blazevski is fourth in the 1000 Freestyle (9:26.71) and fifth in the 500 Freestyle (4:29.47). In the 200 Butterfly, he has the 10th-fastest time this season (1:49.47).
 
Bulldog sophomore Valerie Dembny (Bremen, Germany) has four top 25 swims this year. She is fourth in the 400 Individual Medley (2:05.36) and eighth in the 100 Backstroke (56.72). In addition, Dembny is 13th in the 200 Backstroke (2:05.13) and 25th in the 100 Butterfly (57.38).
 
Wingate will honor six seniors Saturday. On the men’s side, Danny Palmiotto (Brookfield, Conn.), Lee Sousa (Cornelius, N.C.) and Santino Viselli (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) have three BMC championship rings in their trophy cases. For the women, Jennifer Galloway (Snellville, Ga.), Malin Kersmark (Malin-Bjarred, Sweden) and Brittany Pales (Moon Township, Pa.) look to finish their Bulldog careers on a high note.
 
“In each of the eleven years we have been honoring our seniors, I find myself facing mixed emotions,” Sanocki says. “On one side is the sense of pride for all of their contributions; on the other is the realization it’s time (for them) to move on with their lives.”
 
“If we’ve been successful with our message, we sit back and marvel at their growth,” Sanocki says. “We feel confident they will represent the Wingate Swimming family with pride and dignity well into the next phase of life after college. I have no doubt this class will do what the prior classes have done before them...attack the world as they attacked their sport, like champions!”
 
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.
 
WINGATE VS. L-R EVENT LIST

Event 1 – W 200 Medley Relay
Event 2 – M 200 Medley Relay
Event 3 – W 1000 Freestyle
Event 4 – M 1000 Freestyle
Event 5 – W 200 Freestyle
Event 6 – M 200 Freestyle
Event 7 – W 50 Freestyle
Event 8 – M 50 Freestyle
Event 9 – W 200 Individual Medley
Event 10 – M 200 Individual Medley
15-minute break (Senior Day presentations)
Event 11 – W 100 Butterfly
Event 12 – M 100 Butterfly
Event 13 – W 100 Freestyle
Event 14 – M 100 Freestyle
Event 15 – W 100 Backstroke
Event 16 – M 100 Backstroke
Event 17 – W 500 Freestyle
Event 18 – M 500 Freestyle
10-minute break
Event 19 – W 100 Breaststroke
Event 20 – M 100 Breaststroke
Event 21 – W 200 Freestyle Relay
Event 22 – M 200 Freestyle Relay