Women's Lacrosse | 4/25/2016 1:31:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The number three seed Wingate University women's lacrosse team opens South Atlantic Conference tournament play Tuesday, hosting number six seed Catawba College for a 5 p.m. quarterfinal on Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex. Wingate is 12-4 overall, while Catawba is 7-9 overall (live statistics, live video).
 
"We are excited to host the first round SAC game tomorrow against Catawba," Wingate head coach Caline McHenry Olmsted says. "We had a great regular season that has put us in a great position for the play-offs."

A third-year program, Wingate won 12 games this year following a previous-best nine victories in 2015. Both senior midfield Emily Nosek (Bel Air, Md.) and junior midfield Brittany Andrews (Bel Air, Md.) passed the 100-point plateau in Saturday's 16-13 SAC victory over Catawba. Nosek has 103 career points entering the SAC tournament, while Andrews is sitting at 100 career points.
 
On April 2, Wingate junior midfielder Paulena Dempsey (Jarrettsville, Md.) and redshirt sophomore attack Shannon O'Neal (Severna Park, Md.) totaled five goals each to lead the Bulldogs to a 16-10 South Atlantic Conference triumph over Catawba College on Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex.
 
WU freshman midfielder Emily Ketron (Mason, Ohio) had a big day with eight draw control wins to lead the Bulldogs against the Indians. Freshman goalkeeper Arion Pierre (Haymarket, Va.) posted nine saves and picked up the win. She went the distance, allowing 10 goals in her 60 minutes of play.
 
Wingate is second in the SAC in draw controls per game (14.38) and save percentage (.471). Nosek is second on the league charts in assists (38), while Andrews and Dempsey are second (58) and third (55), respectively, in goals scored. Dempsey is second in points (72), while Pierre is second in save percentage (.485).
 
Catawba senior attack Meredith Jones (Barnesville, Md.) leads the Indians in goals (36), assists (29) and points (65). The Indians won both games between the two teams in 2015: a 17-10 regular season decision at Catawba (March 18) and a 15-11 triumph in the first round of the SAC tournament (April 14).
 
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.