Brentwood, Tenn.----Eight Wingate University football student-athletes have been named to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-Super Region 2 team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Six of the eight earn Academic All-Super Region 2 laurels for the second time (complete list).
 
The two-time honorees are senior punter Austin Anthony (Greensboro, N.C.), redshirt junior tight end Brandon Ellington (Wilmington, N.C.), redshirt senior quarterback Robbie Nallenweg (Asheville, N.C.), redshirt junior defensive lineman Nick Napolitano (Shallotte, N.C.), redshirt junior offensive lineman Will Poteat (Vale, N.C.) and senior defensive back Timmy Rogers (Sumter, S.C.). Ellington made the 2011 honor squad, while the other five were named to the 2012 team.
 
Wingate's Academic All-Super Region 2 team newcomers are redshirt sophomore running back Mycah Gaylord (High Point, N.C.) and sophomore linebacker Eric Mapoles (Snellville, Ga.). Wingate's eight Academic All-Super Region 2 team honorees is a school record.
 
The Capital One Division II Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structures, assisting CoSIDA with the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2013-14 DII Academic All-America® teams program. In football, Super Region 2 includes schools from the South Atlantic Conference, the Gulf South Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and independents UNC Pembroke and North Greenville.
 
Austin Anthony
 
Anthony is a Finance major with a 3.63 GPA. Anthony ranks third in the SAC with his 37.6 yards per punt average. He has one punt of 50 yards or better with three fair catches and 11 boots inside the 20-yard line. Anthony punted the football 41 times for a total of 1569 yards in 2012, good for a 38.3 average for each punt. A three-year starter, the Page High School product posted a 37.8 yards per punt average in 2011. He had 15 kicks inside the 20-yard line.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Anthony: "Austin is very reliable. He is very detail-oriented in everything he attempts. This trait carries over into the academic world."
 
Brandon Ellington
 
Ellington is a Sport Management major with a 3.84 GPA. He has 10 catches for 96 yards and one touchdown. Ellington caught 14 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns for the 2011 Bulldogs, earning All-SAC first team honors. He saw time in every game for the 2010 SAC champion Bulldogs.  
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Ellington: "Brandon has had a tremendous year after missing last year due to injury. He is a great asset…a fabulous run blocker and great route runner. Brandon runs very precise routes…he is a complete player."
 
Mycah Gaylord
 
Gaylord is a Biology major with a 3.34 GPA. He is Wingate's second-leading rusher with 162 yards on 65 carries. Gaylord's three rushing touchdowns are second on the team charts. In 2012, Gaylord carried the ball 47 times for 210 yards and one TD.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Gaylord: "Mycah is extremely reliable and very driven both academically and athletically. There is no doubt in my mind he will succeed in anything he attempts."
 
Eric Mapoles
 
Mapoles is a Management major (Finance minor) with a 3.90 GPA. The true sophomore leads the Bulldogs with 69 tackles (29 solo). Mapoles had 11 tackles each in victories over Saint Augustine's and Catawba. Wingate rallied from a 22-3 deficit to edge Catawba 23-22 in October. Mapoles had 19 tackles and three tackles for loss as a freshman.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Mapoles: "Eric saw significant playing time as a true freshman. He was a great find for our program out of Georgia. Eric continues to get better and better every day."
 
Robbie Nallenweg
 
Nallenweg is a Biology major with a 3.80 GPA. He leads the SAC in completion percentage (72.1) and completions per game (26.88). Nallenweg is second and fifth, respectively, on the NCAA Division II charts (in the same categories). His statistics ledger: 215-of-298 passes for 2123 yards and 17 touchdowns. He completed 24-of-28 passes for 273 yards and four TDs against Brevard, passing the career 5000-yard mark in the process. He posted 334 yards and three scoring strikes the following week at Tusculum.
 
In 2012, Nallenweg set school records for passing yards per game (331.3), completions in a game (43), completions in a season (326), attempts in a season (491) and completion percentage for a season (66 percent). His yards in a season (3644) and touchdowns in a season (29) are both second-most in a season at Wingate. His twin brother Andrew Nallenweg ('13) was a Capital One Academic All-America® for the Bulldogs last season.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Nallenweg: "Robbie is a great leader, great student and a great athlete. He is a two-year team captain…big shoes for us to fill in 2014."
 
Nick Napolitano
 
Napolitano is a Marketing major with a 3.39 GPA. He is fourth on Wingate's defensive charts with his 48 tackles (15 solo). He tops the Bulldog charts with 10 quarterback hurries. A team captain, Napolitano is second on Wingate's list with nine tackles for loss and five QB sacks. In his first season as a starter, he led the 2012 WU football team with 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 quarterback sacks. He was an All-SAC second team choice in 2012.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Napolitano: "Nick is one of the most consistent, high-energy players in our program. He balances his football work with his significant achievements in the classroom."
 
Will Poteat
 
Poteat is an Accounting major with a 3.81 GPA. A two-year starter, Poteat and his O-Line mates have helped Robbie Nallenweg achieve great success this year. In addition, Wingate has had back-to-back 100-yard individual rushing performances (versus Tusculum and North Greenville) thanks to his run blocking. In 2012, Poteat and his teammates helped Wingate lead the SAC in team passing offense (333.73 yards per game). The Bulldogs were number seven on the NCAA charts in the same category. His first collegiate start: a 33-21 SAC victory over Carson-Newman in 2011.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Poteat: "Will has played every (offensive line) position except center this year. He does what we ask him to do…a great leader by his example and by his word. Will is always driven to succeed, both on the field and in the classroom. We look for great things from him."
 
Timmy Rogers
 
Rogers is a three-year starter with a 3.40 GPA as a Marketing major. A Bulldog team captain, Rogers has 49 tackles this season (third on the WU charts). Rogers had 10 tackles each in back-to-back SAC victories over Catawba and Brevard. Rogers had 52 tackles during an All-SAC second team junior season, earning the Charlotte Touchdown Club Scholarship. In 2011, he had 65 tackles. In 2010, Rogers played in 12 of 12 games for the SAC champion Bulldogs. In the NCAA play-off victory over Morehouse, Rogers had a season-high eight stops.
 
Wingate head coach Joe Reich on Rogers: "Timmy is one of the most intelligent players I have ever coached. He is always in the right place at the right time…a model of consistency."
 
To be nominated for Capital One Academic All-America® honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or a significant reserve on his team. Twenty-three student-athletes were named to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-Super Region 2 team. The 23 team members will advance to the national ballot.
 
An NCAA Corporate Champion, Capital One began its college sports affiliation with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week. In addition to the Capital One Academic All-America® program, the corporation supports all 89 NCAA Championships, including the Division I men's and women's basketball championships and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.
 
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.