Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams venture to Queens University of Charlotte for dual meet Wednesday (event schedule). The Bulldogs and the Royals will meet in the Levine Center on the Queens campus. The first event is slated for 4 p.m. (Wingate fans, please note this revised starting time).
 
Both schools are members of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference (BMC). With only 31 miles separating the two campuses, the two schools would appear to be natural rivals. Last summer, Queens joined the South Atlantic Conference for 17 of Wingate's 22 sports besides swimming.
 
"Queens is quickly becoming our biggest rival because of how fast the QU program has become nationally prominent," Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki says. "Their growth is similar to our growth…of course, the proximity is a factor. We are friends outside the competitive arena, which makes everything much more interesting."
 
"I have a great deal of respect for what they do with their student-athletes," Sanocki says. "This brings out the best in our student-athletes. Certainly, I think this works both ways."
 
Sanocki admits the competitive juices flow on both sides, but he believes the rivalry is a healthy one. "While we'd like to beat each other…this hasn't changed our relationship after the meet is over," Sanocki says. "Our kids are friends and we recruit some of the same people."
 
Wingate enters the rare mid-week dual meet following a double victory in a five-team quad meet Friday and Saturday at the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center (MCAC) in downtown Charlotte. "I think we performed well as a team overall," Sanocki says. "We performed the way we expected to perform in many of our races."
 
"The fact which provides the coaching staff the most optimism is as well as we performed against very good competition, there is much run for improvement," Sanocki says. "This is a very good sign moving forward."
 
This past weekend, Wingate's men won 12 of the 17 events. Wingate senior Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia) won four individual events and one relay gold medal, earning BMC Swimmer of the Week honors for men's swimming. Senior Reed Miller (Mobile, Ala.) and sophomore Roman Kanyuka (Moscow, Russia) won two individual events and one relay gold each. The Bulldogs won three of the four relay races.
 
The Bulldog women were not far behind, as they took the checkered flag in 11 of the 17 events. Seniors Valerie Dembny (Bremen, Germany) and Katie Pheil (Ocala, Fla.) collected three gold medals each. Dembny won the 200 Individual Medley, while helping the 'Dogs take two relay crowns (200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay). Pheil touched first in the 200 Backstroke and the 200 Freestyle, while sharing the winner's platform with Dembny and two teammates in the 400 Medley Relay.
 
Sophomore Ana Fish (Carthage, N.C.) and redshirt sophomore Julie Wessler (Sprockhövel, Germany) won two individual events each. Fish won both freestyle sprints, while Wessler took the champion's crown in the 1000 Freestyle and the 200 Butterfly. Five different Bulldogs won at least one individual race; Wingate won two of the four relay races.
 
"Our number one goal is to win the meet," Sanocki says. "More importantly, we want to see the progression (of the items) we discussed with our student-athletes prior to quad meet."
 
"Progression in our sport doesn't always equate to time," Sanocki says. "Even though the stopwatch was good this past weekend…and our times were fast, we feel we made mistakes. Our tactics towards racing need to continue to improve each day. Most of this improvement needs to take place in the mental arena. If we can improve on these things, we are good."
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 8th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte 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, physical therapy 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 seven years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000's with 57 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 57 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 66 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.