Men's Swimming | 1/2/2015 8:36:00 PM

Lakeland, Fla.----The nationally-ranked Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams will face a stern test to open the 2015 portion of their schedule, visiting fellow national contender Florida Southern College Saturday for a 1 p.m. dual meet at the Nina B. Hollis Wellness Center Pool on the FSC campus. Interestingly enough, both schools occupy either the number three or the number six spot on the two NCAA Division II top 25 lists (tentative Wingate at FSC entries).
 
On the women's side, Wingate is number three, while the FSC Moccasins are number six. The men switch places, as Florida Southern is number three and the Wingate Bulldogs are number six. Both teams have title aspirations in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference (Wingate) and the Sunshine State Conference.  
 
The Wingate women's swimming team won the 10th annual Savannah College of Art and Design College Invitational for the sixth year in a row (and the eighth time in the last nine years) at the Chatham County Aquatic Center Dec. 4-6. The Bulldog men's swimming team finished second to host SCAD-Savannah. Wingate's men have won seven of the last nine SCAD Invite events.
 
"This time of the year, competition can be a mixed bag," Wingate head men's and women's swimming coach Kirk Sanocki says. "During the break, training can be a challenge. With our primary focus on training…we should be able to perform. Every person on the deck knows this is the most significant six weeks of our season relative to competition."
 
 Sanocki acknowledges every athletic team faces the same challenges coming back from the Christmas holiday. "Every team is in the same situation," Sanocki says. "Simply put, competition is competition…we are going to prepare mentally the same way we would prepare for any other meet.
 
Florida Southern's women finished second at the Nova Southeastern Shark Invitational last month, with the FSC Mocs taking third place on the men's side. "Florida Southern is one of the premier opponents in the NCAA Division II," Sanocki says. "They are a phenomenal opponent to open the second semester portion (of our schedule). We will look at the times…and decide what we need to focus on during the remainder of our training trip."
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 10th "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 eight years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 72 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 72 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 81 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.