Wingate, N.C.----Seven Wingate University women's swimming seniors contributed to nine individual victories and two relay wins as the number five Bulldogs collected a 169-85 Bluegrass Mountain Conference dual meet triumph over Barton College Friday evening at the WU Natatorium (complete results). Seniors Mathilde Cros, Charlotte Knippenberg and Josefine Moeller won two individual events each. Moeller (200 Medley Relay) and Cros (400 Freestyle Relay) contributed to one relay victory each.
 
Prior to the meet, Wingate president Dr. Rhett Brown and Bulldog head coach Kirk Sanocki helped honor 13 #WUSWIM seniors (seven women, six men). During their careers, the Bulldogs have six second-place finishes in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship meet and six top-17 NCAA showings with five finishes in the top eight. These 13 senior student-athletes have a combined GPA of 3.324.
 
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH KIRK SANOCKI
 
"This was a big night for our seniors! From the opening ceremony, right through the meet-ending 400 Freestyle Relay, we leaned on our experience to win a meet against the defending Conference Carolinas champions. It was a great way to end the regular season…we will look to carry this momentum into our conference championships."  
 
WINGATE HIGHLIGHTS
 
- Cros won the 1000 Freestyle (10:52.73) and the 500 Freestyle (5:19.51)
- Knippenberg touched first in the 200 Butterfly (2:08.58) and the 100 Butterfly (58.85)
- Moeller earned gold medals in the 100 Breaststroke (1:11.79) and the 200 Breaststroke (2:32.72)
- Seniors Abby Kosic and Corinne Mahoney played roles in both relay victories
- Wingate won the 200 Medley Relay (1:51.57) and the 400 Freestyle Relay (3:38.21) with eight-of-eight relay spots occupied by seniors
- Individually, Kosic won the 100 Backstroke (58.68) and Mahoney won the 50 Freestyle (25.24)
- Senior Leticia Odorici won the 200 Freestyle (1:58.32) and swam the third leg on the 400 Freestyle Relay quartet
- Senior Ebba Stillman joined Kosic, Moeller and Mahoney on the 200 Medley Relay crew
- Freshman Ashley Rabinovich and Lily Sanocki won the 200 Backstroke (2:08.66) and the 200 Individual Medley (2:10.44), respectively
- The Barton meet concludes Wingate's regular season
- Next for the WU Bulldogs is the Bluegrass Mountain Conference championships (see below)
 
BLUEGRASS MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE MEET

The nationally-ranked Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams will compete in the 22nd annual Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship meet at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center (MCAC) February 13-16. Preliminaries begin Thursday through Sunday at 10 a.m. Finals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will start at 6 p.m. Sunday's finals will commence at 5 p.m.
 
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 115 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 124 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.