Men's Lacrosse | 4/13/2015 2:44:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The number five seed Wingate University men's lacrosse team opens South Atlantic Conference tournament play Tuesday, visiting number four seed Mars Hill University for a 4 p.m. quarterfinal at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium on the MHU campus. The two teams concluded the regular season Saturday, as the visiting Lions took a 17-10 decision over the Bulldogs at Wingate. Mars Hill is 5-6 overall, while Wingate is 6-9 overall (live statistics, live video).
 
The 2015 season marks the seventh time in the last decade that the Wingate Bulldogs have played a conference tournament opener against the same team they played in the regular season finale. The other six occurrences came while Wingate was a member of the Deep South Conference. The opponent each of the first six times was nearby rival Catawba, most recently in 2013.
 
On Saturday, Mars Hill senior midfield Anthony Malcolm (New Westminster, B.C.) had four goals and two assists to lead the Lions. Wingate sophomore attack Austin Murphy (Orillia, Ontario) had three goals and one assist for the hosts. Bulldog senior midfield Zak Goings (Haymarket, Va.) had two goals, while junior attack Ryan Vogrig (Vancouver, B.C.) had one goal and a team-best two assists.
 
Murphy leads Wingate in goals (31), assists (24) and points (55). MHU senior midfield Ryan Sage (Kelowna, B.C.) matches Murphy with 31 goals. Malcolm leads the Lions in assists (21) and points (48). He is third on the Mars Hill team charts with 27 goals, following senior attack Jimmy McBride (New Westminster, B.C.) with 28 tallies.
 
Vogrig and sophomore attack Tanner Kotch (Butler, Pa.) support Murphy's efforts with 26 goals each. The last time the two teams played at Mars Hill, the Lions scored two goals in the final 62 seconds to claim a 15-13 SAC victory on April 5, 2014. Malcolm had the game-winner. For Wingate, senior midfield Chase Watts (Winston-Salem, N.C.) had a career-high five goals.
 
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.
 
2015 SAC Men's Lacrosse tournament
 
Tuesday, April 14 (at higher seeds)
Game 1: #3 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. #6 Brevard, 7 p.m.
Game 2: #4 Mars Hill vs. #5 Wingate, 4 p.m.
 
Thursday, April 16 (Charlotte, N.C.)
Game 3: #1 Queens vs. winner game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Coker vs. winner game 1, 6:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, April 18 (Charlotte, N.C.)
Game 5: Winner game 3 vs. winner game 4, 2 p.m.