Rocky Mount, N.C.----Wingate University men's swimming team seniors Giacomo Viazzo and Ryan Capote won two individual events each, lifting the number 12 Bulldogs to a 179-82 Bluegrass Mountain Conference dual meet victory over Barton Saturday afternoon at the Harrison Family YMCA (complete results). Viazzo won the 100 and the 200 Breaststroke, while Capote collected gold medals in the 50 and the 100 Freestyle.
 
Senior team captains Ben Evans and Markus Furst touched first in one event each. Evans won the 1000 Freestyle (10:00.00), while Furst won the 100 Backstroke (52.16). Viazzo, Capote, Evans, Furst and classmates Henry O'Brien and Nazarii Kosylo were recognized during Wingate's Senior Day celebration Friday night prior to the home-standing WU women taking on their Bulldog counterparts from Barton.
 
THOUGHTS FROM SENIOR RYAN CAPOTE
 
"My final dual meet felt great, from giving it my all in each race to the energy my teammates gave off which fueled the fire to try harder. Thinking back on my time at Wingate, it has been a blast and it all feels like it has happened in a flash."
 
"With all the practices and the meets my team and I have been through, I'm proud to call myself a Bulldog and to call those who have been with me during those hard practices my family. If I could go back and relive these past four years, I would do it in a heartbeat. Thank you everyone for being with me every step of the way and pushing me to be my best."

THOUGHTS FROM SENIOR GIACOMO VIAZZO
 
"This is the best way possible to conclude my last dual meet season: great team atmosphere, amazing teammates, lots of fun and fast swims and great vibes heading into the Bluegrass Mountain Conference meet. I couldn't ask for anything more!"

WINGATE HIGHLIGHTS
 
- Viazzo put the following times on the board: 100 Breaststroke (58.39) and 200 Breaststroke (2:06.53)
- Capote was the sprint champion Saturday with his times of 22.18 (50 Freestyle) and 48.75 (100 Freestyle
- All total, the visiting WU Bulldogs won 11 individual events
- Sophomores Daniel Brisuda, Felix Grieb, Taylor Montgomery and Jonas Soerensen won one event each, while freshman Daniel Mizera earned one gold medal as well
- Brisuda won the 200 Individual Medley (1:56.81), while Grieb won the 100 Butterfly (53.87)
- Montgomery touched first in the 200 Butterfly (2:12.92), while Soerensen claimed the gold in the 500 Freestyle (4:44.76)
- Mizera won the 200 Freestyle (1:43.16) and finished second to Brisuda in the 200 IM (1:57.44)
- Freshman Garrett Butner was second to Viazzo in the 100 Breaststroke (1:01.19) and the 200 Breaststroke (2:17.04)
- The Bulldogs finished 1-2-3 in the 1000 Freestyle (Evans, freshman Casey Mitchell and junior Gabriel Serafim) and 1-2-3 in the 200 Breaststroke (Viazzo, Butner and sophomore James Reindl)
- 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.