Football | 1/3/2017 12:42:00 PM

New York, N.Y.----Wingate University senior defensive end Ray Edwards (Sacramento, Calif.) adds another prestigious award to his decorated WU resume by earning a spot on the 2016 Associated Press Little All-America list as a third team honoree. The team consists of the best collegiate football student-athletes from across the nation in NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA.
 
"Ray is well-deserving of this honor," Wingate head football coach Joe Reich says. "His motor never stopped running all season. He was a tremendous leader and a great effort guy. We are very proud of him."
 
The first team All-South Atlantic Conference performer also earned second team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). In addition, Edwards became the first Bulldog in program history to win the SAC Defensive Player of the Year award.
 
"As a defensive back, there is nothing better than having a player like Ray causing chaos up front in the trenches," Wingate graduate student Cornel Cheron ('16, Miami, Fla.) says. "There was no doubt in my mind when he was on the field he was going to make a big play for the defense and the entire team. He richly deserves this All-America recognition." 

Edwards put together a tremendous statistical season with 56 total tackles (23 solo, 33 assists), 17 tackles for a loss, 7.5 quarterback sacks, four forced fumbles and nine quarterback hurries. The American River College transfer also added an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick to his statistical ledger. Edwards ranked third overall in the SAC with his season QB sack total.
 
His best all-around performance came in a critical week eight match-up versus the Carson-Newman University Eagles when Edwards tallied eight total tackles and three tackles for a loss in Wingate's 29-16 SAC road triumph. The Highlands High School graduate also posted one sack, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
 
Edwards' amazing road game earned him SAC Defensive Player of the Week laurels following the C-N victory. Edwards compiled a season-high two sacks in a week five non-conference road victory over the Limestone College Saints and in week nine versus the North Greenville University Crusaders.
 
The reigning conference DPOTY helped anchor a Wingate defensive unit which ranked seventh in the nation in total defense, allowing only 284.7 total yards per game. The Bulldogs ranked first in the SAC in multiple defensive categories including points allowed per game (21.1.), yards allowed per game, passing yards per game (181), rushing yards per game (95.7), defensive touchdowns (four) and total interceptions (tied for first with 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 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
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 10 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 88 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 88 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 97 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate. He is the son of Harrison and Dona Kaplan.)