Wilmington, N.C.----The nationally-ranked Wingate University men’s and women’s swimming teams conclude the 2011-12 regular season Saturday, visiting NCAA Division I UNC Wilmington for a dual meet. The first event at the Seahawk Natatorium is slated for 2 p.m. Last Saturday, the Bulldogs swept a dual meet over Bluegrass Mountain Conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne at the Wingate University Natatorium. The number five Bulldog men outscored the visiting Bears 112-77, while the number 22 Wingate women earned a 137-45 victory.
 
The best Hollywood writer could not have penned a better Senior Day script, as elder statesmen Danny Palmiotto (Brookfield, Conn.), Lee Sousa (Cornelius, N.C.) and Santino Viselli (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) combined for two relay victories, two individual triumphs and one third-place showing. All total, the Bulldogs won eight of the 11 events Saturday. The Wingate men had nine exhibition swims in the final four events.
 
On the women’s side, Wingate seniors Jennifer Galloway (Snellville, Ga.), Malin Kersmark (Malin-Bjarred, Sweden) and Brittany Pales (Moon Township, Pa.) combined for four first-place ribbons and one second-place performance to lead the Bulldogs. Wingate won 10 of 11 events; the Bulldogs compiled five 1-2-3 finishes Saturday. Wingate had nine exhibition swims in the final four women’s events.
 
Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki (watch Sanocki interview at this link) is happy with his team’s progress. “Both the men and women have been progressing as planned,” Sanocki says. “I believe we are on track to swim really well during the championship phase of the season.  I can’t think of a better way to end the regular season than against a team like UNCW.”
 
The Seahawks will celebrate Senior Day Saturday, honoring 12 seniors. “Coach Allen always has his team prepared to swim fast,” Sanocki says. “We’ll need to be sharp and mistake- free, if we plan to come out victorious. Our teams will have their nerve tested; that’s exactly what we need in anticipation of the BMC and NCAA meets.”
 
Last year, UNC Wilmington swept a dual meet over host Wingate on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2010. The Seahawks won the women’s meet 126-111 and the men’s meet 122-81. Kersmark won the 100 Backstroke. She also participated in Wingate’s victorious 200 Freestyle Relay race. Sophomore Lindsey Taylor (Charlotte, N.C.) won the women's diving competition in her first intercollegiate event. Wingate sophomore Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia) won three men’s events (500 and 1000 Freestyle and 400 Individual Medley) and set two Bulldog pool records in his Wingate debut.
 
The 2012 portion of Wingate’s schedule started well, as the Bulldog men won the Winter College Invitational on Jan. 4. The Wingate 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 will host the Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship meet Feb. 15-18 at the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center (MCAC) pool in downtown Charlotte. In 2011, the Wingate men won their fourth consecutive BMC championship, while the Bulldog women finished a close second at the same event. At the 2011 NCAA championships, the Wingate men earned a school record fifth-place finish, while the Bulldog women were 17th. Blazevski and sophomore Iaroslav Denysenko (Poltava, Ukraine) won individual national championships in the 400 Individual Medley and the 500 Freestyle, respectively.

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.