AFCA All-Americans

Waco, Texas----Wingate University graduate student offensive lineman Andrew Strickland has been named a first team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Strickland earns All-American honors for the second time in his career. Strickland is one of only four players to earn AFCA All-American for the second consecutive season.

"What more can we say about Strick?" head coach Joe Reich says. "He's been everything we could have wanted and then some. I have run out of superlatives for him. He has left a great legacy and something all our players can strive for."

Strickland gives Wingate football at least one All-American for each of the past five seasons, and seven of the last nine years overall. He is the first Bulldog to earn All-American accolades in multiple years since tight end Chris Conklin in 2006 and 2007. Kenwin Cummings was also a multi-year All-American in 2005 and 2007. Strickland is the first player in program history to earn AFCA All-American accolades in multiple seasons. He is also the first Bulldog offensive lineman to earn All-American recognition of any kind in multiple years.

Strickland has been piling up the awards for the Bulldogs. The two-time first team All-SAC offensive lineman earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2021, going to the top offensive lineman in the South Atlantic Conference. He is the third Bulldog to earn the honor and first since 2017 All-American Daniel Owens. Strickland also picked up D2CCA first team All-Region accolades this season.

The 2020 SAC Man of the Year, Strickland was also named the SAC Scholar-Athlete in 2021. He was one of three players in the 2019 seasons to be named an AFCA All-American and earn Academic All-America accolades. After earning second team Academic All-America honors in 2019, Strickland was a first team honoree in 2021.

One of four team captains in the 2021 season, Strickland helped anchor a Wingate offensive line that ranked third in the SAC in rushing offense and fourth in passing offense. Strickland started every game for the Bulldogs in 2021, helping to pave the way for first team All-SAC running back Nijere Peoples. Wingate scored 403 points while averaging 33.6 points per game in Strickland's 2019 All-American campaign, ranking second and third in school history. The 'Dogs averaged 31.4 points per game in the 2021 campaign, ranking in the top 10 in program history.

ABOUT AFCA

The AFCA's Division II All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the teams are chosen.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and four doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Wingate is the leading healthcare education provider in western North Carolina, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Athletes on Wingate's 24 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.