Rock Hill, S.C.----The defending Food Lion South Atlantic Conference men’s tennis tournament champion Wingate University Bulldogs will be the three seed in this week’s SAC Tournament, which gets underway Thursday in Rock Hill. Wingate finished 7-2 in the SAC, good for a tie for third in the final league standings. Wingate will face sixth-seeded Mars Hill Thursday at 9 a.m. in the opening round. The Bulldogs enter the tournament at 14-10 overall, while the Lions are 4-8 overall after going 4-5 in SAC play.

The winner of Thursday’s match will take on second-seeded Tusculum Friday at 9 a.m. The Pioneers went 8-1 in SAC play during the regular season, finishing in a tie for the regular season title with top-seeded Anderson. On the other side of the bracket, fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial takes on fifth-seeded Newberry on Thursday, with the winner facing Anderson on Friday. The championship match is Saturday at 9 a.m. Every match this week will take place at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.

The Bulldogs, who went undefeated in SAC play in 2011 and 2012, feature a balanced attack with five players registering at least 12 wins. Freshman Roberto Hennis (Raleigh, N.C.) leads the team with 17 victories, going 17-5 which includes a 7-2 mark against SAC opponents. Hennis is 10-2 as the number three singles player. Freshman Sebastian Hall (Lörrach, Germany) has a 15-7 singles record this year, going 6-2 in the SAC and 5-1 in number four singles.

Junior Ryan Forbes (Charlotte, N.C.) is 14-6 on the year, going 8-2 as Wingate’s number five singles player while posting a 7-2 mark against league opponents. Freshman Kennedy Cancelado (Miami Springs, Fla.) is 13-10 this year, notching 11 victories as Wingate’s number one singles player. Sophomore Josh Eardley (Newcastle, Staffordshire, England) is 12-7 this year, holding a perfect 8-0 record in SAC play.

In doubles action, Cancelado and Forbes have a team-best 14-7 record, going 13-5 in number two doubles. Eardley and Hall also have 14 doubles wins, going 14-8 overall with an 8-1 mark in SAC play.

2013 Food Lion SAC Men’s Tennis Tournament
Thursday, April 18 – Quarterfinals
9 a.m. #4 Lincoln Memorial vs. #5 Newberry
9 a.m. #3 Wingate vs. #6 Mars Hill

Friday, April 19 – Semifinals
9 a.m. LMU-NC winner vs. #1 Anderson
9 a.m. WU-MHC winner #2 Tusculum

Saturday, April 20 – Championship
9 a.m. Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner

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, 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 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 is second (to 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.