Men's Lacrosse | 4/14/2017 5:49:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs close out the 2017 home slate  Saturday afternoon when they host the Brevard College Tornados in South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse action from Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex. First face-off on Senior Day is slated for a 3 p.m. start. The 'Dogs are coming off a thrilling 12-11 overtime victory over (then) fourth-ranked Mercyhurst University this past Sunday. Wingate will honor 11 senior student-athletes in the pre-game festivities (at approximately 2:45 p.m.).
 
Wingate is 9-3 overall and 4-2 in the SAC. Brevard is 2-12 overall and 0-6 league play. Wingate has been victorious in five out of its last six contests, sitting at third overall in the conference standings. Brevard has lost 11 straight games since defeating Emmanuel (Ga.) 22-13 on Feb. 11.
 
The Bulldogs are led by senior attack and reigning USILA/BSN National Player of the Week Austin Murphy (Orillia, Ontario), who tops the WU charts with 54 total points (22 goals, 32 assists). Murphy leads the SAC with his assist total and ranks second overall in total points. He also ranks third in the nation with 2.67 assists per contest.
 
Murphy earned USILA/BSN National Player of the Week honors for his three-goal, six-assist performance versus Mercyhurst. Murphy passed the 100-goal mark for his illustrious career Sunday as well. He is only the second Bulldog to tally 100 goals and 100 assists in his four-year tenure at Wingate (the other is Kyle Costello).
 
WU sophomore attack Alex Llerandi (Marietta, Ga.) leads the Bulldogs in goals with 24 tallies on the season. Junior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) and sophomore midfielder Daniel Godwin (Greensboro, N.C.) 17 and 15 goals, respectively. Sophomore midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) and redshirt senior attack Ryan Vogrig (Vancouver, B.C.) both have also added double-digit tallies with 12 and 10 scores each.
 
Bulldogs junior goalkeeper Will Sheridan (Woodstock, Ga.) has posted a break-out season in the cage, ranking first in the SAC and third in the nation with a 63.0 save percentage. Sheridan is also first in the league standings (fourth in NCAA Division II men's lacrosse) with his 7.13 goals against average. He is second in the SAC with 136 total saves on the season.
 
For Brevard, the Tornados are led by sophomore midfielder Jackson McKaig (Gainesville, Fla.), who is fifth in the SAC with 27 goals on the season and seventh with 13 assists. Senior attack Matthew Dropuljic (Brampton, Ontario) adds 25 tallies, while sophomore midfielder Kyle Hunziker (Gainesville, Fla.) has contributed 39 total points (24 goals, 15 assists). Senior midfielder Ryan Taylor (Mill Bay, Ontario) is the fourth Tornado to tally 20-plus goals with 20 total scores. Freshman goalkeeper Chris Stallings (Bel Air, Md.) is fourth in the league with 121 saves.
 
The Wingate Bulldogs have been nationally-ranked in the USILA/Nike Division II top 20 poll in the last four weeks and currently hold their highest ranking of the 2017 campaign as the number 12 squad. The 'Dogs have averaged 12.2 goals per contest in the current six-game stretch. Wingate defeated Catawba College 13-1 in its last league match-up on April 1. The WU defense has been dominant in the 2017 campaign, ranking first in the SAC with only 84 goals allowed and a 6.98 goals against average. The 'Dogs have also posted a 62.8 total save percentage.
 
Brevard began the season with a 23-4 triumph over Shorter University in its 2017 opener, but have lost 11 of 12 games since. The Tornados average 10.57 goals per contest and rank third in the league with 148 total goals as a team. Brevard is first in the SAC with a 37.3 shot percentage.
 
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.)