Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's tennis team enters the 2014 season as the pre-season favorite to win the South Atlantic Conference title. Wingate opens the spring portion of its 2013-14 season Saturday, Feb. 1, hosting the NCAA Division I Campbell University Camels (1 p.m. first serve) at the Wingate tennis facility.
 
"We have a good group of returning student-athletes," Wingate head coach Michael Cabana says. "Even with the number of new faces, our team has developed a great camaraderie. We are looking forward to the season."
 
Wingate sophomore Sebastian Hall (Lörrach, Germany) is a pre-season All-SAC selection. Senior Ryan Forbes (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior Neal Towlson (Warwick, Bermuda) have won many big matches for the Bulldogs. "Neal has struggled with injuries throughout his career," Cabana says. "He helps his teammates understand tomorrow is not guaranteed. His resilience is a big plus for us."
 
Each player must assume a leadership role, Cabana acknowledges. "This year, we will have leadership by committee," Cabana says. "(We will see) each person holding the next person accountable for his actions."
 
"Our players must leave everything on the court this year," Cabana says. "We must want every point more than the guy across the net."
 
Wingate is number 42 in the Campbell/Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division II pre-season top 50 rankings. The Bulldogs were 16-11 overall (7-2 SAC) last season. Cabana enters his eighth season with the Bulldogs this spring. In seven Wingate men's tennis campaigns, Cabana is 90-62 overall and 43-13 in the SAC.
 
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.