Women's Lacrosse | 2/13/2016 6:43:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University women's lacrosse enters its third season this spring with much hope and optimism. Last year, the second-year Bulldog program finished the season with an overall record of 9-8 and a 4-4 South Atlantic Conference ledger. "Last year was a great year for our program," Wingate head women's lacrosse coach Caline Olmsted says. "We took a big step forward from our first season."
 
"This year will be another stepping stone towards getting to where we want to be as a program." Olmsted says. "We've done a good job getting ourselves prepared. It's been a good four weeks of preparation for the season ahead."
 
The Bulldogs attacking team will look to redshirt sophomore Shannon O'Neal (Severna Park, Md.) heading into the year. "Shannon will play a big part of what we do on offense," Olmsted says. "She's a great dodger, has good placement of her shots and sees the field well. She'll also take the draw for us, too. Freshman Jenna Will (Sykesville, Md.) is going to be strong for us as well. She's scrappy and does a good job working in her area."
 
Wingate's midfield will represent the team's strength, led by junior Paulena Dempsey (Jarrettsville, Md.) and senior Emily Nosek (Bel Air, Md.). "I would say our midfield is our strongest area," Olmsted says. "Paulena and Emily are really going to be critical to our success this year in being able to play both ways." Nosek will serve as a team captain for the 2016 Bulldogs. Junior Laura Swanson (Plantation, Fla.) and freshman Meg Amrein (Abingdon, Md.) will also be putting in work for Wingate this season at midfield.
 
"Our defense is anchored by our two juniors Morgan Insel (Plantation, Fla.) and Kendall Sienon (Woodstock, Ga.)," Olmsted says. "They are vocal leaders for us."
 
Defending the goal for the Bulldogs will be sophomore Nicole Hinkel (Fallston, Md.) and freshman Arion Pierre (Haymarket, Va.). "Nicole and Arion have done a good job competing for the starting spot thus far," Olmsted says. "It will be interesting to see how they do going into season."
 
Senior Erin Murphy (Mooresville, N.C.) will lead her team as a two-year captain. Murphy and Nosek are the first two graduating seniors the women's lacrosse team has had since the inception of the program. "Erin and Emily work really well together," Olmsted says. "Erin tends to deal with things from more of a vocal perspective, but they each lead in their own way. They do a really nice job in balancing their leadership roles between the two of them."
 
The Bulldogs will begin a very tough 2016 schedule right off the bat, hosting number 12 the University of Mount Olive Sunday on Graham Gill Field in the Irwin Belk Track Complex. The contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m. Wingate will remain at home for another strong match-up against Belmont Abbey College on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The Bulldogs and Crusaders are scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.
 
"We put together our schedule so we would see some tough competition before we opened up SAC play," Olmsted says. "We want our schedule to mentally prepare us for SAC competition so we can put ourselves in the best possible spot going into the tournament."
 
Wingate's schedule includes 17 games this season with 10 match-ups at home. The 2016 South Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse championship tournament is slated for April 26, 28 and 30 with quarter-finals at campus sites and the semi-finals and finals hosted by Queens University of Charlotte.
 
BULLDOG NOTES

Murphy, Insel and junior midfield Brittany Andrews (Bel Air, Md.) were selected for pre-season All-SAC honors. Insel earned pre-season All-SAC first team honors, with Andrews and Murphy named to the second team in the All-SAC pre-season selections. Wingate University was voted by coaches in the pre-season poll to finish fifth.
 
The Bulldogs return five student-athletes who scored 23 or more goals last season. Murphy topped the 2015 WU charts with 38 goals. She was followed by Andrews and sophomore attack Jaclyn Chiesa (Canton, Ga.) with 31 goals each. Nosek found the back of the nets 29 times in 2015, while Dempsey scored 23 goals.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 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, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 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 nine 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 82 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 82 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 91 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
(Wingate University athletics intern Phillip Pruett, Jr. contributed this article. Pruett is senior at Temple University, majoring in Sport and Recreation Management.)