Wingate Excellence Cup History

Rock Hill, S.C.----For the seventh straight year, Wingate University has won the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award, which annually recognizes the member athletic department with the highest point total based on cumulative final standings in each of the conference's sports. Wingate won by 19 points this year, the third-highest total in the history of the award. The 29-point win from the Bulldogs in the 2010-11 year was the largest, while last year's 20.5 points win was the second largest margin. Before Wingate, the largest victory ever was 12.5 points.

"Wingate University is blessed with many talented athletes, coaches and support staff," Wingate president Dr. Jerry McGee says. "It's a real pleasure to see them enjoying such great success."

Regular-season finish is used in the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, baseball and softball, while SAC Championship results are used for men's and women's cross country, and men's and women's golf.

In the seven-year span in which Wingate has won the Echols Excellence Award, the Bulldogs have piled up 685 points. That total is 128.5 more than the second-closest school (Carson-Newman). Wingate is now one win away from tying Elon's record of eight straight Excellence Awards from 1989-1997. Wingate has won the Echols Excellence Award more times (seven) than the rest of the current SAC schools combined (five).

"We are excited and pleased to win the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award," Wingate vice president and Director of Athletics Steve Poston says. "We are fortunate to be a member of the South Atlantic Conference, where all member institutions emphasize the importance of athletic and academic success. Knowing the high quality of the institutions we compete against makes this award even more meaningful. We are appreciative of the support we receive from our administration, faculty, staff and students. We share our pride and this award with them."

Wingate entered the SAC spring sport season with only a half-point lead over Lenoir-Rhyne in the standings, but a conference title in women's tennis and second-place finishes in baseball and men's golf increased the Bulldogs' final point total to 108.5, good for a 19-point win over runner-up Tusculum. Wingate also finished tied for third in men's tennis, fifth in women's golf and seventh in softball during the spring.

Wingate jumped out to 3.5 point lead over Lenoir-Rhyne in the fall. The Bulldogs won the regular season volleyball title for the seventh straight year, while getting second place finishes from women's soccer along with men's and women's cross country. The Bulldog football team also finished in a tie for second in the fall.

The men's basketball team finished in second place during the regular season, with the women's team finishing in seventh. In the 14 sports, Wingate won two regular season titles, while finishing second in seven sports and third in one. The men's soccer team finished fourth in the SAC regular season, but would go on to win the regional title, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight and finishing the season ranked 10th nationally.
The Echols Athletic Excellence Award, named after former SAC Commissioner Doug Echols, will be presented at the conference's Hall of Fame banquet on June 6 in Asheville, N.C.

2012-13 SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award Standings – Final
1.  Wingate                         109.5
2. Tusculum                        89.5
3. Lincoln Memorial           86.5
4. Lenoir-Rhyne                  85.5
5. Anderson                         75
6. Carson-Newman           74
7. Catawba                          72
8. Newberry                         69
9. Mars Hill                          61.5
10. Brevard                          34.5

SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award Standings (since 2006)
1.  Wingate                         685
2. Carson-Newman          556.5
3. Tusculum                       554.5
4. Lenoir-Rhyne                 513
5. Catawba                         498.5
6. Newberry                        482
7. Lincoln Memorial          441
8. Mars Hill                         426
9. Anderson                        235
10. Brevard                         167.5

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, visitwww.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.
 
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.