Wilmington, N.C.----The nationally-ranked Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams open the 2014 portion of their schedule Saturday, visiting NCAA Division I UNC Wilmington for a dual meet. The first event at the Seahawk Natatorium is slated for 1 p.m. Most recently, the number three Wingate women's team won the Savannah College of Art and Design Invitational for the fifth year in a row Dec. 7. The number five Bulldog men finished second (to 39-time NJCAA national champion Indian River State) in the same event (meet schedule, WU top times).
 
For the first time in school history, the Wingate men's and women's swimming teams spent the entire fall semester in the national top 10 polls (both CSCAA and collegeswimming.com). "We had our best mid-season performance ever at the December SCAD Invitational," Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki says.
 
"Although both the men's and women's teams are getting very excited about the 2014 Bluegrass Mountain Conference meet, we are still focused on the present," Wingate senior Amanda Gilbert (Metairie, La.) says. "We have swum against UNCW for a few years now. We know it is usually a close meet. As always, our goal is to win the meet."
 
On Jan. 19, 2013, UNC Wilmington swept a dual meet at the Wingate Natatorium. The UNCW men edged Wingate 152-123, while the Seahawk women defeated the Bulldogs 167-113. Bulldog senior Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia) won three men's events, while classmates Valerie Dembny (Bremen, Germany) and Katie Pheil (Ocala, Fla.) won twice each for the Bulldog women.
 
Both Gilbert and senior Reed Miller (Mobile, Ala.) see positives in Wingate's winter training. "Winter training has been going well," Miller says. "Everyone is getting back in the racing mindset as Saturday approaches. UNCW is a good start to the semester because they provide a high level of competition for us, which is what we need to be ready for conference and NCAAs. I'm excited to see how everyone responds to level of the competition." 
 
"Winter training was split into two portions, which I believe worked to our advantage," Gilbert says. "After final exams were over, we began hard training right away. The team was focused and we had some really great practices in and out of the pool."
 
"Everyone went home for a short winter break and enjoyed time with friends and family," Gilbert says. "Right after New Year's Day, we all came back to school and were ready for some more tough, but in the long run, rewarding training. The combination of short course and long course swimming, weight lifting and dry land pushed us to our limits, but will make us that much (better) in the end." 
 
Both Wingate teams are defending Bluegrass Mountain Conference champions. The Bulldog men have six Bluegrass Mountain Conference titles lifetime, while the Wingate women have three BMC crowns. In 2013, the Wingate women finished a program-best fifth place at the NCAA national championship meet. The Bulldog men were sixth at the 2013 NCAAs.
 
WINGATE SWIMMING NOTES

Next weekend, Wingate will travel to the University of South Carolina to face Queens University of Charlotte and the College of Charleston Friday and Saturday (Jan. 24-25). Wingate Director of Sports Marketing and Promotions Courtney Callahan swam for the USC Gamecocks.
 
On Friday, Jan. 31, Wingate will host St. Andrews University for Senior Day. The first event between the Bulldogs and the Knights will take place at 5 p.m. The University will honor 11 seniors (four men, seven women) during one of the meet's breaks.
 
Wingate will host the Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship meet Feb. 12-15 at the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center (MCAC) pool in downtown Charlotte. The following weekend, the Bulldogs will participate in the Royal Invitational Feb. 21-22. The Royal Invitational is hosted by Queens University of Charlotte.
 
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 59 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 59 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 68 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.