Wingate, N.C.----Five new members will be added to the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony Friday, Oct. 25. The induction will be part of a Blue Carpet Gala which will include Wingate University Alumni Awards in addition to the Sports Hall of Fame recognitions. This year's Hall of Fame ceremony will also take place on Homecoming weekend at Wingate.

The Wingate Sports Hall of Fame class of 2019 includes women's basketball guard Dr. Anna Atkinson Caparaso ('09), football defensive lineman Kenwin Cummings ('13), cross country runner Dr. Amber Hines Jensch ('09), swimmer Maria Vlashchenko Crowder ('09) and head volleyball coach Shelton Collier.

"The Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee is happy to announce the class for 2019," WU Athletic Foundation and Bulldog Club director Bill Nash says. "These five individuals (four former student athletes and one current coach) have contributed to the history of their sports as difference makers and leaders. The contributions of these Wingate University stalwarts established personal standards of excellence, all the while lifting their teams to conference, regional and national prominence. The process of selecting is a challenge due to the outstanding number of student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have made their mark on the history of Wingate University athletics."

Dr. Anna Atkinson Caparaso
Women's Basketball (Class of 2009)

Atkinson is one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of SAC athletics. The four-time All-SAC selection was the three-time women's basketball SAC Scholar-Athlete. Atkinson was twice named the SAC Presidents' Award winner, going to the league's top overall student-athlete. The two-time first team Academic All-America honoree was also a two-time SAC Player of the Year and two-time All-American.

Atkinson piled up 1,494 points in her illustrious career, adding 776 assists, 450 rebounds and 357 steals. She is the all-time leader in SAC history with 357 career steals, registering 2.89 steals per game. She ranks second in league history in career assists, handing out 6.26 assists per game in her career, which is also second in conference history. In the 2007-08 season, Atkinson averaged 14.9 points, 8.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game, leading the Bulldogs to the SAC Tournament title and the NCAA Southeast Region championship. Atkinson set the league record with 125 steals that season, while her 281 assists that season rank second in league history. She was named an All-American, Academic All-America honoree, SAC Player of the Year, SAC Scholar-Athlete and SAC Presidents' award winner that year.

Kenwin Cummings
Football (Class of 2013)

Cummings was a three-time All-SAC and All-Region honoree for the Bulldogs, while earning All-American honors in 2005 and 2007. One of the top pass rushers in league history, Cummings played in the NFL for the New York Jets from 2008-10, while also playing for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010. He earned first team All-American honors from Hansen's Football Gazette in 2005, while earning second team accolades in 2007.

Cummings is Wingate's all-time leader with 26.5 career sacks and 56.5 career tackles for loss, while ranking eighth in program history with 243 tackles. He piled up 18 tackles for loss in 2007 and 17.5 in 2006, which rank second and third in Wingate's single-season record books. His 10 sacks in the 2006 season are good for third all-time, while his eight sacks in 2005 rank fourth in program history. Cummings led the league in sacks and tackles for loss in each of his final two seasons.

Dr. Amber Hines Jensch
Women's Cross Country (Class of 2009)

Hines goes down as one of the most decorated runners in the history of Wingate cross country. She earned All-SAC honors all four years of her career, while earning Academic All-America accolades in each of her final three seasons, being named a first team selection on two occasions. Hines was also a two-time SAC Scholar-Athlete

Hines made a huge impact on the team as a sophomore, earning SAC Runner of the Year honors in 2006 while finishing second at the NCAA Southeast Regionals to earn a bid to the NCAA National meet. She repeated as the SAC Runner of the Year in 2007, adding another runner-up finish at the regionals. She capped her career as an All-SAC and All-Region honoree in 2008, while leading the Bulldogs to an appearance in the NCAA National meet.

Maria Vlashchenko Crowder
Women's Swimming (Class of 2009)

Vlashchenko played a huge role in turning the Wingate swimming program into perennial national powers. She became the first Wingate women's swimmer to win a national championship in 2008, taking home the title in the 100 Breaststroke. In two years, Vlashchenko was a 12-time All-American and 15-time All-BMC honoree, while piling up 10 BMC titles. At the conclusion of her career, she held eight Wingate swimming records and three conference records.

In 2007, Vlashchenko finished in the top eight nationally in six events to earn first team All-American honors in all six, which included the 100 Breaststroke, 200 IM and 200 Breaststroke, while leading the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay teams to top-eight finishes. The following season, Vlashchenko earned four more individual first team All-American honors, while leading two more relay teams to top-eight showings.

Shelton Collier
Volleyball Head Coach (2002-present)

One of the most successful coaches in the history of college volleyball, Collier ranks eighth all-time in NCAA volleyball with 1,053 career wins, while ranking fourth among all active coaches. He is 1,053-287 in his 37-year career, good for a .786 winning percentage. Collier is 487-81 in 17 years at Wingate, with that .857 winning percentage ranking second among all active NCAA Division II head coaches.

Collier has led the Wingate volleyball team to unparalleled success in during his time with the Bulldogs, piling up 12 regular season SAC title and 11 SAC Tournament titles over the last 13 seasons. He has been named the league's Coach of the Year 10 times, while earning NCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year accolades seven times. Collier was named the 2013 AVCA National Coach of the Year. The all-time winningest coach in SAC history, he has led the Bulldogs to five NCAA regional championships since the 2010 season. No SAC team had ever earned an AVCA ranking prior to Collier's arrival, but since 2009 the 'Dogs have been included in 65 top 25 polls, still the only SAC school to earn a ranking. He has had 12 AVCA All-Americans over the last nine seasons. Collier also earned Big East Coach of the Year honors at Pittsburgh and ACC Coach of the Year accolades at Georgia Tech, where he won a combined 566 matches in 20 years.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.
 
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 13 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 106 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 115 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.