Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams return to action Saturday, hosting NCAA Division I UNC Wilmington for Senior Day. The first event at the WU Natatorium will begin at 2 p.m. The Wingate University Sports Network will provide a pay-per-view video of Saturday’s meet.
 
During the meet’s first break, the Wingate family will honor six senior student-athletes swimming in their last regular season home meet: Cole Dutton (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Rory Julyan (Cape Town, South Africa), Will Stokes (Salisbury, N.C.), Spencer Waganaar (Satellite Beach, Fla.), Paige Schmidt (Clearwater, Fla.) and Elly Speer (Manly, Sydney, Australia). The six seniors have helped the Bulldogs earn spots in the recent 2012-13 CSCAA top 25 polls. The Wingate men are number 13, while the Bulldog women are number 17.
 
Most recently, the Bulldog men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams won the eighth annual Savannah College of Art and Design College Invitational Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The Wingate men have won seven straight SCAD Invite crowns, while the Bulldog women have won four in a row (and six of the last seven).
 
Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki believes his troops are ready to face outside competition. “The training during the break between the semesters…is always the most difficult,” Sanocki says. “The sheer volume of the workouts…in a short time frame…is tough to handle.”
 
“The start of the spring semester is a double-edged sword,” Sanocki says. “Our student-athletes are back to the academic and athletic grind. The reduction in their (athletic) workload is welcomed by the swimmers.”
 
The Bluegrass Mountain Conference championships are less than a month away; Sanocki knows this meet will give himself and assistant coach Kerry Smith much information as they make preparations for the February BMC event. “For the vast majority of our swimmers, the UNCW meet will give them a chance to get back in the flow as we prepare for the BMC,” Sanocki says. “Our swimmers are ready to see outside competition.”
 
Sanocki acknowledges Saturday will be bittersweet, as Wingate’s six seniors will compete on campus for the last time. “As a competitor, it is so easy to view our seniors from a competitive stand point,” Sanocki says. “‘What did they do athletically during their four years at Wingate?’ When you have time to take competition off the table, you (as a coach) think how much you are honored to see these young people grow from green freshmen to seniors in college…ready to take the next step.”
 
Sanocki remembers well his first encounters with each member of this class. “I have had a chance to reflect back to the recruiting process,” Sanocki says. “I recall listening to each of these swimmers tell me what they believed they would bring to the table. Coaches find a happy medium (in the recruiting process)…and I am happy to report these six student-athletes have made significant contributions in the pool and in the classroom.”
 
“We are sending Cole, Rory, Will, Spencer, Paige and Elly to the real world,” Sanocki says. “We hope we’ve played a small role in preparing them for the game of life.”
 
Sanocki admits the UNC Wilmington Seahawks are a tough test for his team. “I have a great deal of respect for UNCW head coach Dave Allen,” Sanocki says. “He is one of the individuals who view his program from a realistic perspective. Coach Allen will swim teams to prepare his squad for what he wants to accomplish.”
 
“We have yet to defeat UNC Wilmington in competition,” Sanocki says. “For the development of your team, it is not always about wins and losses…despite the opinions of the general public. Coach Allen is one of the few high-profile program coaches who will return a trip to us after we’ve gone to compete at his venue.”        
 
                WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, ranked as the 6th “best value” in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves nearly 2,700 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy and education. 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 six years.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000’s with 52 selections. Among North Carolina’s colleges and universities, Wingate’s 52 Academic All-America® honorees are tied for first (with Duke University) during this millennium. Wingate’s 61 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.