Men's Soccer | 10/20/2017 2:23:00 PM

Indianapolis, Ind.----Wingate University junior goalkeeper Pablo Jara (Santiago, Chile) has earned the NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award. Jara was one of only six athletes across all NCAA sports to earn the prestigious honor. The two-time All-American earns the honor, which recognizes the athletes who exemplify sportsmanship, one of the core principles of the NCAA.

"Out of all the players I've coached, Pablo deserves this award more than anyone I can remember," head coach Gary Hamill says. "His genuine appreciation for his teammates and his opponents is exceptional."

Five other student-athletes also were selected by The NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct to receive the 2016-17 NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Awards: Alex Bloom, track and field runner and health major at Cincinnati; Evie Tate, a cross country runner and health science major at Clemson; Rachel Pease, a cross country runner and health and human performance/exercise science major at Louisville; Thomas Caulfield, a track and field runner and business/economics major at St. Lawrence; and Maddie Pronovost, a track and field runner and neuroscience major at Middlebury.

Jara celebrates the talent of his competitors before he rejoices in his own team's victory. During the first round of the 2015 NCAA Division II tournament, Jara made Wingate's clinching penalty kick to propel the Bulldogs to the regional semifinals. Immediately after, he approached Lander's goalkeeper to congratulate him on a match well played. Jara made a game-winning play, but praising his opponent's talent and competitiveness remained his top priority. Jara displayed true sportsmanship by saluting the quality of the competition, rather than merely celebrating the outcome.

Jara has been piling up the awards since stepping on the Wingate campus. A two-time first team All-SAC and All-Region honoree, he is the first player in program history to earn All-American honors as a freshman. He was also named the SAC Freshman of the Year and SAC Tournament MVP, leading the Bulldogs to the SAC regular season and tournament championships. He earned All-American honors once again as a sophomore, leading the nation in goals-against average while helping Wingate pile up 12 shutouts and allow just eight goals on the year. Jara did not allow a goal during the NCAA Tournament, leading the 'Dogs to their first-ever national title.

Jara has led the SAC in goals-against average in each of his first two seasons, while finishing first and second in the league in save percentage. The junior has already compiled 27 shutouts during his career.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY 

Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,600 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 11 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 96 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 96 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 105 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.