Columbus, Ga.----The number 49 Wingate University women’s tennis team (19-5 overall) opens the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional #2 versus host and number six Columbus State (20-3 overall) Sunday morning at the Mary V. Blackmon Tennis Center. First serve is slated for 9 a.m. Number 10 Francis Marion faces number 45 Erskine in the 2 p.m. Columbus regional semi-final.
 
“I am excited to have the opportunity to compete at the tournament,” Wingate head women’s tennis coach Michael Cabana says. “We look forward to playing a top 10 team. I am excited for the ladies to finish the year at the NCAAs.”
 
Wingate senior Kelli Ferguson (Concord, N.C.) believes the Bulldogs share Cabana’s excitement. “We are very excited to be heading to regionals,” Ferguson says. “I’m so proud of our team for everything we have accomplished this year. We have had some tough matches, but our hard work has paid off and now we have the opportunity to compete (in the NCAAs) for the third year in a row.”
 
Ferguson won the deciding singles point to give Wingate a 5-3 victory over Anderson (S.C.) in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference championship match April 20. The triumph gave the Bulldogs 12 consecutive wins and the league’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Division II tournament.
 
Wingate has qualified for the NCAA tournament a SAC-best 11 times. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 1996, defeating St. Andrews (4-2) and Elon (4-1) to take their first (and only) trip to the championship site. North Florida ended Wingate’s 1996 run with a 4-0 victory in Edmond, Okla.
 
The Wingate women earned at-large bids to the NCAA Division II tournament in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Wingate’s three SAC tournament titles give them automatic qualifications in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
 
Ferguson feels she and her teammates understand the significance of the moment. “It’s not often teams can say they have earned a chance to play in the NCAAs,” Ferguson says. “We plan on taking in this moment and enjoying the chance we have to compete in regionals with our team. We know we still have more tennis to play. On a personal note, I know my college tennis career isn’t over yet!” 
 
Statistically, Wingate has four student-athletes with 15 or more singles victories this season. Ferguson and junior Morgan Winston (Lawrenceville, Ga.) have 17 triumphs each. Food Lion SAC tournament MVP and Bulldog sophomore Tiffany Williams (Cary, N.C.) is next with 16 singles conquests. Senior Helen Goreski (Oakville, Ontario) has achieved 15 singles victories.
 
Bulldog junior Ali Evers (Roswell, Ga.) and sophomore Becca Thomas (Alpharetta, Ga.) have compiled a team-best 15-7 overall record at the number one doubles flight. Evers and Thomas are ranked number nine in the Southeast Region. Evers is the number 20 singles player in the region. Columbus State’s Paola Cigui and Carolin Weikard are the number seven doubles team in the nation. Cigui is ranked number two on the NCAA Division II singles charts.
 
Columbus State advanced to the championship match of the Peach Belt Conference tournament April 14, dropping a 5-0 decision to number one Armstrong (Ga.). The AASU Pirates are the defending national champions. The Cougars have lost twice to top-ranked Armstrong and once to the number four BYU Hawaii Seasiders.
 
The Cougars and the Bulldogs have five common opponents: Anderson, Augusta State, Francis Marion, Georgia College and USC Aiken. Most recently, Wingate defeated USC Aiken 6-3 on April 10. Columbus State topped the USCA Pacers twice: once in the regular season and once in the PBC tournament quarter-finals.
 
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.