Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men’s and women’s tennis teams play their first NCAA Division II Southeast Region matches of the 2013 spring season Saturday, hosting Francis Marion University (12 noon first serve). Each of the four teams is nationally ranked in the Campbell/Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division II pre-season top 50 rankings.
 
Both Wingate teams are the defending South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament champions. The Bulldog men are number 26, while the Wingate women are number 30. The FMU Patriots hail from the Peach Belt Conference. The Francis Marion men are number 20, while the Patriot women are number 10. The Francis Marion women’s tennis team ended Wingate’s 2012 campaign in the NCAA Division II play-offs last season.
 
Wingate women’s tennis preview
 
Both teams enter Saturday’s play undefeated. Wingate is 3-0 overall with fall victories over Catawba and Pfeiffer and a spring triumph over local rival Johnson C. Smith. Francis Marion has two wins in two tries, taking decisions over Barton and Erskine.
 
“The women’s team is working very hard,” Wingate head coach Michael Cabana says. “We are more mature with another year under our belts.”
 
Bulldog junior Ali Evers (Roswell, Ga.) and sophomore Becca Thomas (Alpharetta, Ga.) earned pre-season All-SAC first team honors in both singles and doubles. Wingate junior Morgan Winston (Lawrenceville, Ga.) was the MVP of the 2012 Food Lion SAC tournament. Sophomore Tiffany Williams (Cary, N.C.) has yet to lose a SAC match.
 
Leadership is important, as Wingate looks to win its third consecutive SAC crown. “Leadership-wise…we have great people in place,” Cabana says. “We have a tough road ahead…we must make sure we are ready each match.”
 
Seniors Helen Goreski (Oakville, Ontario) and Kelli Ferguson (Concord, N.C.) are three-year letter winners. A Capital One Academic All-America® candidate, Ferguson was the MVP of the 2011 Food Lion SAC tournament. Freshman Caroline Holland (Spartanburg, S.C.) will rely on Ferguson and Goreski for guidance, as she will play number two singles for the Bulldogs this season. Sophomore Sarah Martin (Chardon, Ohio) earned a singles victory Monday against JCSU; her development will be crucial for Wingate’s future success.
 
Wingate men’s tennis preview
 
The Bulldog men opened the 2013 spring calendar with tough losses to NCAA Division I Davidson and Presbyterian. Wingate (3-2 overall) owns victories over Catawba, Pfeiffer and Johnson C. Smith. Francis Marion (2-0 overall) has defeated regional foes Barton and Erskine.
 
In 2012, Wingate earned a come-from-behind 5-4 victory at Francis Marion (March 20). The Bulldogs won their first-ever NCAA Division II play-off match last season before bowing to eventual national champion Armstrong Atlantic State.
 
Wingate’s 2013 roster features five freshmen, two sophomores and one junior. “Obviously, we are very young,” Cabana says. “(Assistant coach) Drew Owen and I are working hard to help our freshmen understand the preparation necessary to win championships.”
 
On any given day, Wingate’s top six could feature all five freshmen. Brand-new Bulldog Kennedy Cancelado (Miami Springs, Fla.) will man the number one spot as a true freshman. Sophomore Neal Towlson (Warwick, Bermuda) will occupy the number two singles position.
 
A 2012 All-SAC performer, Towlson did not lose a SAC singles match (regular season or tournament) last year, posting a 10-0 record against league opponents. Towlson was 15-7 overall in singles, with seven wins at number four and six victories at the number five spot. Towlson will play number one doubles with freshman Roberto Hennis (Raleigh, N.C.).
 
Wingate junior Ryan Forbes (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore Josh Eardley (Newcastle, Staffordshire, England) will fill leadership roles for the young Bulldogs. Forbes will play two doubles with Cancelado, while Eardley will pair with freshman Sebastian Hall (Lörrach, Germany) at the three doubles flight. Both Forbes and Eardley will make significant contributions in the singles line-up.
 
Hall and Hennis will play three and four singles, respectively. Classmates Westin Bennett (Calgary, Alberta) and Luis Osio (Miami, Fla.) will both have an opportunity to make an impact on Wingate’s 2013 fortunes.
 
“We are very talented,” Cabana says. “We are working hard to find a common ground…and mesh as one group. My expectations have not changed…they are very high.”
 
Francis Marion volunteer assistant coach Ron Smarr is a member of the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame. The Wingate tennis teams won two NJCAA national championships in four years until Smarr’s direction. The Bulldogs raised the trophy in 1970 and 1971.
 
In four Wingate seasons, Smarr’s teams compiled a 100-14 overall record. In 1969, Wingate finished third in the NJCAA national tournament. Smarr retired from Rice University last spring with 873 victories in 42 years of coaching, the most wins by any tennis coach ever.
 
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.