Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University's annual WUSPYS awards once again have a different look in 2021. For the second straight year, the event could not take place in person. However, unlike 2020, a full year of athletics means that the 2021 WUSPYS awards will be back to the full 15 categories. Because the event could not take place in person, the decision was made to wait until all teams had finished their season. With the baseball team winning the national title, Wingate was the last NCAA Division II team in action in the 2021 season, going through mid-June.

Below are all of the nominees for each category along with their accomplishments. You can also see the video for the Play of the Year nominees. The ballots have been sent out to 100 voters, comprised of Wingate coaches, along with the athletic administrative staff. In addition, members of Wingate's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will take part in the voting. Voting will take place throughout the week and winners will be announced next Tuesday, June 29. For more information, follow the WUSPYS on twitter or go to www.wingatebulldogs.com/wuspys.

Male Breakthrough Athlete

Michael Dansky, Baseball
- Had 3 at-bats in the 2020 season, going 1-for-3 on the year
- Earned honorable mention All-SAC honors in 2021, hitting .300 with 6 homers & 26 RBI
- Led the Bulldogs in batting average in the regular season
- Finished 3rd on the team in on-base% and runs and 4th in hits & slugging%

Adam Vodovnik, Lacrosse
- Scored 14 goals in 2020 after scoring 4 goals in the 2019 season
- Led the nation with 61 goals in 2021, adding 14 assists for 75 points
- Had 5 more goals than any player in the nation, breaking the single-season SAC record
- All-SAC/All-Region, USA Lacrosse Magazine 3rd Team all-American; USILA Hon. Mention All-American

Andreas Wilson, Basketball
- Appeared in 6 games in 2019-20 season, scoring 19 total points
- Played all 20 games in 2020-21, scoring 199 points, ranking 4th on the team with 10 ppg
- Finished 2nd on the team with 41 threes on the year; shooting 38% from 3-point range
- Scored over 15 points 7 times; scored 26 points in Coker win & 19 in win at #10 Queens

Female Breakthrough Athlete

Reese Blackley, Volleyball
- Averaged 1.67 kills per set with a .112 hitting percentage in the 2019 season
- Led the Bulldogs with 3.14 kills per set in the 2020-21 season, hitting .226
- Earned 2nd Team All-SAC honors, leading the SAC champion Bulldogs with 110 total kills
- Had at least 8 kills in 9 of Wingate's 12 matches; double-digit kills 5 times

Kayleigh Hiles, Lacrosse
- Hiles had 5 goals, 4 assists and 8 draw controls in 8 games in the 2020 season
- She piled up 16 goals, 18 assists and 36 draw controls as a sophomore in 2021
- Ranked 3rd on the team in assists and draw controls for the season
- Registered multiple points in 11 of Wingate's 14 games during the season

Jaia Wilson, Basketball
- Averaged 2.0 points & 1.1 rebounds per game in the 2019-20 season
- Finished 3rd on the team with 11.3 points per game in 2020-21, adding 3.5 boards per game
- Led the team with 55 assists, doubling her assist total from the previous season
- Finished 2nd on the team with 22 threes made and 22 steals

Best Upset

Men's Basketball wins at #10 Queens
- Wingate outscored #10 Queens 46-27 in the 2nd half to prevail 80-71
- The 'Dogs trailed by 17 in the 1st half and by 15 with 11 minutes to go
- Wingate closed the game on a 25-5 run to win by 9
- Andreas Wilson had 19 points; Jarren Cottingham added 16, Francis Sio had 14 in the 2nd half

Men's Lacrosse at #4 Lenoir-Rhyne
- The 'Dogs handed the 4th-ranked Bears their only loss of the regular season, winning 16-15 in Hickory
- Wingate raced out to a 10-6 halftime lead and led 16-10 heading to the final frame
- Bobby Padden piled up 6 goals & an assist; Willie Grieco had 3 goals & 2 assists
- KC Carlson had 14 saves on the night; LR would go on to play in the NCAA D2 national title game

Men's Soccer at #7 Lenoir-Rhyne (SAC Title Match)
- The Bulldogs claimed their 4th tourney title in 6 years by winning 1-0 at #7 Lenoir-Rhyne
- Third meeting of the year; first ended in a tie, LR won 1-0 in Hickory 10 days earlier
- Nick Bennett scored off a Daniel Kuper goal in the 77th minute to give WU the victory
- Jens Bergendorff registered three saves to notch the shutout; Bennett was named Tourney MVP

Softball at #7 Lincoln Memorial
- Wingate snapped #7 LMU's 28-game home field winning streak with an emphatic 9-0 five-inning win
- The loss came in the regular season finale, the only time LMU had been held under 2 runs on the year
- Heaven Maness & Ragan Liles drove in 2 runs each; Haley Cashwell had 3 hits & 2 runs scored
- Sydney Kale tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings; Aubrey Reep added 1 2/3 shutout frames in relief

Volleyball vs. #3 Hillsdale (AVCA Tournament)
- After dropping the 1st 2 sets, Wingate stormed back for a dramatic 5-set win over #3 Hillsdale
- WU won set 3 25-17, took set 4 25-21, then finished it off with a 15-11 set-5 victory
- Sophie Schaff & Quin Sutphin had 14 kills each; Molly Lambillotte & Maggie Young each added 11
- Shannon Kasprak had 53 assists as the 'Dogs took down the previously 16-1 Chargers

Newcomer of the Year (Non-Freshman)

Haleigh Hatfield, Women's Basketball
- Earned honorable mention All-SAC honors
- Averaged 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, ranking 3rd in the SAC in rebounds
- Piled up 9 double-doubles in her 18 games
- Scored in double figures in 13 of her 18 contests including a 27-point effort at Queens

George Barfoot, Men's Tennis
- Posted an 8-2 record in singles play for the SAC champion Bulldogs
- Picked up 5 wins at #3 singles & 3 wins at #4 singles
- Picked up a big 6-3, 6-0 win at 4 singles in the victory over #13 Queens
- Won 6-3, 6-1 at 3 singles in the win against #26 Tusculum in the NCAA Tournament

Tai Smith, Men's Track & Field
- Smith earned 2 school records during outdoor season in the 5000 & 10,000 meters
- Earned All-SAC in the same two events, posting times of 14:28.17 (5000) and 31:36.60 (10,000)
- Helped the Bulldogs finish 2nd in the SAC Championships
- Earned USTFCCCA All-Region accolades in the 5000 & 10,000 meters

Quin Sutphin, Volleyball
- Averaged 2.69 kills and 1.12 blocks per set in her 6 matches
- Hit .279 on the season, ranking 3rd on the team in kills per set
- Piled up 13 kills & 7 blocks in the SAC title match against Anderson, hitting .312
- Had 14 kills in the victory over #3 Hillsdale at the AVCA Championships

Georgina Wood, Women's Tennis
- Compiled a 9-3 record in singles play for the SAC champion Bulldogs – SAC Tournament MVP
- Went 6-1 vs. SAC opponents, with all 12 matches on the year coming at #4 singles
- Also posted an 8-4 record in doubles play, primarily playing at #2 doubles
- Picked up a huge 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over #22 Queens in Wingate's 4-3 SAC title match victory

Play of the Year (WATCH VIDEO)

Kendrick Tucker game-winning 3 vs. Anderson with 1 second left
- Trailing by 2 in the final seconds of overtime, Wingate won in dramatic fashion
- Jarren Cottingham drove the lane and after a deflection found Tucker open on the wing
- The senior squared up and drilled a triple from the left wing with 1.1 seconds left
- The three gave the Bulldogs an 87-86 victory over the Trojans

Danny Riley game-winner sends WU to Final Four
- The national quarterfinal contest was tied 9-9 in the final seconds
- Bobby Padden came out of the crowd with the ball and found Riley
- The sophomore ripped one home with just over 8 seconds left to give WU the win
- The goal gave the 'Dogs their 1st-ever NCAA Tourney win and sent them to the Final Four

Soren Nygaard game-winning goal in double overtime vs. Coker
- After 100 minutes of scoreless soccer, Soren Nygaard ended things
- He took a pass from Mikkel Fahlen Bruun just 2 minutes into the 2nd overtime
- Nygaard finally got one past the keeper on Wingate's 21st shot of the night
- The goal ended the contest to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 SAC win

Charles Joubert caps record week by winning in playoff
- After posting rounds of 65, 69 and 71, Charles Joubert was in a playoff at the Tennessee River Rumble
- On the fifth playoff hole, he holed a 10-footer for birdie to secure the victory
- Joubert tied the school's 18-hole & 54-hole scoring records, breaking the 36-hole mark
- He won in a loaded field that included 15 players ranked in the top 90 in the D2 GolfStat rankings

Laney McLaurin 3-run homer vs. Mars Hill in the 6th inning
- The Bulldogs trailed 4-1 against Mars Hill in the bottom of the 6th inning
- Heaven Maness and Aubrey Reep started the frame with a single and a walk
- McLaurin then crushed a 1-1 pitch to dead center, a 3-run shot to tie it at 4
- WU took the lead 2 batters later and shut down MHU in the 7th to preserve the win & DH sweep

Hunter Dula walk-off RBI single on day 6 of World Series
- Facing elimination for the 3rd straight day, WU & Angelo State were tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th
- Wingate loaded the bases and Dula came to the plate and worked a 2-2 count with 2 outs
- The rain became too heavy to continue, causing a 3 ½ hour rain delay
- On the 1st pitch after the delay, Dula ripped the game-winning single through the right side

Game of the Year

Baseball wins 5-3 over #2 Central Missouri (National Championship Game)
- Wingate staved off elimination for the 5th time in 5 days to capture the national title
- The 'Dogs scored twice in the 3rd, but the Mules scored 3 times in the 4th to take a 3-2 lead
- RBI singles from McNeely & Christopher gave WU a 4-3 lead in the 5th; Chapman added an RBI double
- Broderson tossed 5 no-hit innings in relief, ending the game with a strikeout, leading to a dogpile

Men's Lacrosse downs UIndy 10-9 to advance to Final Four
- Wingate struck 3 times in the 1st 4 minutes of the 2nd to take a 5-1 lead over #10 UIndy
- A Grieco goal put the 'Dogs up 6-2; Wingate led 6-3 at halftime and 8-3 three minutes into the 3rd
- UIndy tied it at 8; Pierpont answered with a goal, UIndy scored again to make it 9-9 with 1:40 left
- Padden hit Riley with under 10 seconds left and his goal sent WU to the national semifinals

Women's Golf opens season with win at Spring Kickoff
- The Bulldogs kicked off the 2021 season by rolling to a 12-shot win at the Spring Kickoff in Florida
- Mind Puangcharoen shot 69, 78 to finish 3rd, Sofi Rincon de la Torre shot 75-74 to finish 5th
- Hailey McLaughlin (75, 75) & Sam Fritzinger (72, 80) also notched top-10 finishes
- Wingate opened the tourney with a school-record-tying 291

Men's Soccer wins 2-0 at #14 Carson-Newman (SAC Tourney Semifinals)
- The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the SAC title match with a thrilling 2-0 win at #14 C-N
- Scoreless with 10 minutes left, a Floris Van Der Bruggen cross was headed home by Nick Bennett
- It was the first goal allowed by the Eagles in nearly 700 minutes of action
- Daniel Kuper added a goal in the final minute to make it 2-0, sending WU to the title game

Volleyball SAC Championship Match 5-set win over Anderson
- The 'Dogs won their 12th tourney title in 15 seasons with a 5-set win over AU in Cuddy Arena
- The Trojans won 27-25 in set 1, but WU won 25-20 & 25-18 in 2 & 3; AU won set 4 to send it to a 5th
- Wingate went on an 8-0 run to race out to a 9-1 lead in set 5 en route to a 15-6 win
- Quin Sutphin had 13 kills; Molly Lambillotte & Sophie Schaff had 11 each, Anne Abernathy added 9

Men's Team of the Year

Baseball
- National champions ended season ranked #1
- Won SAC & Region Tourney title
- Finished season 39-13
- 1st baseball national title in school & SAC history

Men's Lacrosse
- Went 12-3 overall & 8-1 in the SAC, finishing 5th in the USILA top 20 poll
- Wingate advanced to the NCAA Final Four after defeating #10 UIndy in the national quarterfinals
- The Bulldogs picked up 4 wins over top-15 wins, including a pair of top-5 road wins
- Wingate advanced to the SAC Tournament championship match for the 4th straight season

Men's Soccer
- The Bulldogs won their 4th SAC Tournament title in six seasons, going 6-1-1 overall & 3-1-1 in the SAC
- Wingate picked up a pair of top-15 road wins in the semis & finals to capture the championship
- The 'Dogs finished the season ranked 6th in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll
- Wingate had seven All-SAC honorees, including a league-best five first team selections

Men's Swimming
- The Bulldogs finished 7th at the NCAA championships
- Wingate also notched a 2nd-place showing at the BMC Championships
- The 'Dogs have 14 straight top-20 finishes which includes 10 top-10 showings
- WU had five swimmers combine to pile up 16 All-American trophies

Men's Tennis
- The Bulldogs won the regular season SAC title for the third straight season
- Wingate has won nine of the last 12 regular season conference championships
- The 'Dogs earned their 3rd straight bid to the NCAA Tourney, advancing to the regional semis
- Wingate finished 12-3 overall, with a perfect 10-0 mark in league play, ranking 20th in the ITA poll

Men's Track & Field
- The Bulldogs finished 2nd at the 2021 SAC Championship meet
- Wingate was the second-ranked team in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region poll
- 13 Bulldogs earned USTFCCCA All-region honors
- Tai Smith and Elliot Zirwas both earned All-Region accolades in multiple events

Women's Team of the Year

Women's Golf
- The Bulldogs were ranked 21st in the final WGCA top 25 poll
- Wingate finished 2nd  at the SAC Championship
- Hailey McLaughlin won the individual title and was named an All-American
- The 'Dogs had a win and two runner-up finishes in the 2021 season

Women's Swimming
- Wingate finished 6th at the 2021 NCAA Championships, one point out of the top 5
- The Bulldogs were second at the BMC Championship meet
- Wingate had 6 athletes combine for 22 All-American trophies
- The 'Dogs have 9 straight top-10 finishes, including 3 top-3 showings

Women's Tennis
- The Bulldogs won the SAC regular season and tournament championships in 2021
- WU won their 9th regular season title in 10 years & 6th tourney championship in the same span
- Wingate went 16-2 overall and 11-0 in the SAC, moving to 103-2 in league play the last decade
- The 'Dogs finished the season ranked 13th in the final ITA poll

Women's Track & Field
- The Bulldogs finished 2nd at the 2021 SAC Championship meet
- Wingate ranked 22nd in the nation & 2nd in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region poll
- The Bulldogs had five athletes combine to pile up 8 USTFCCCA All-Region honors
- Althaus earned 2 first team All-American trophies; Wilshire also picked up 1st Team accolades

Volleyball
- Wingate won the SAC regular season & tourney titles in 2021
- The Bulldogs have won 26 combined league championships since 2006
- The 'Dogs went 11-1 overall in 2021, finishing the season ranked 22nd in the final AVCA poll
- WU was 4th in the nation in kills/set, 5th in hitting percentage and 8th in opponents hitting percentage

Best Championship Performance

Iran Almeida – Men's Swimming (5 All-American swims at NCAA Championships)
- Almeida had two individual All-American swims & 3 relay All-American honors
- His week was highlighted by finishing as the national runner-up in the 200 Fly
- Almeida added a 7th-place finish in the 100 Fly
- He led the 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay & 800 Free Relay teams to top-8 finishes as well
 
Sara Aringsmann – Women's Swimming (5 All-American swims at NCAA Championships)
- The senior piled up a pair of individual All-American swims & 3 relay swims
- She finished 5th in the 100 Free & 8th at the 200 IM
- Aringsmann helped lead the 200 Medley Relay team to a 3rd-place finish
- She added 4th-place showings with the 400 Free Relay & a 5th-place finish in the 400 Medley Relay

Nick Bennett – Men's Soccer (SAC Tournament MVP)
- The freshman scored 4 goals in the 3 SAC Tournament games, with 2 game-winners
- He had 2 goals in the quarterfinal win over Limestone
- Bennett netted the winner in the 80th minute at #14 Carson-Newman in the semis
- He scored the lone goal in the 77th minute of the SAC title game

Shannon Kasprak – Volleyball (SAC Tournament MVP)
- Kasprak handed out 115 assists in 3 SAC Tourney wins, adding 38 digs & 16 kills
- She averaged 9.6 assists, 2.4 digs & 1.1 kills per set for the week
- Kasprak ran a WU offense that led the tourney in kills per set and hitting percentage
- She piled up 39 assists, 18 digs, 4 kills, 3 aces & 2 blocks in the SAC title match

Hailey McLaughlin – Women's Golf (SAC Tournament Champion)
- McLaughlin led wire-to-wire to capture the individual title at the 2021 SAC championship
- The two-time All-American posted rounds of 73, 74 and 70 to win the title
- Her final-round 70 was a career-best, winning by 1 shot over the nation's 5th-ranked player
- McLaughlin's efforts helped lead the Bulldogs to a runner-up team finish

Logan McNeely – Baseball (D2 World Series MVP)
- The catcher led all players with 12 hits in Wingate's six games
- McNeely hit .461 for the week, with at least one hit in every game and 3 multi-hit games
- He drove in 6 runs including 2 in the semifinal win and 2 more in the title game
- McNeely had 4 hits in the semis, while scoring 4 runs on the week and catching every inning

Vanisha Wilshire – Women's Track & Field (SAC Championship Meet: 2 wins & a 3rd-place finish)
- Wilshire won the high jump and the triple jump at the 2021 SAC championship meet
- She added a 3rd-place showing in the long jump
- Her 1.76 mark in the high jump was a season high and ranked 2nd in all of NCAA Division II
- She won the triple jump at 11.94 meters, while adding a personal-best 5.76 meters in the long jump

Georgina Wood – Women's Tennis (SAC Tournament MVP)
- Wood went 2-0 in singles play & 3-0 in doubles play in the SAC Tournament
- She won 6-1, 6-1 at 4 singles & 6-2 at 2 doubles in the semifinal victory over Carson-Newman
- Wood won 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 at 4 singles in the title match vs. #22 Queens, winning 6-3 at 2 doubles
- Wood's come-back win at number 4 singles was the clincher to give Wingate the title

Geddings Award (Best Overall Student-Athlete)

Mike DiLegge – Men's Lacrosse
- Appeared in every game, helping the 'Dogs lead the SAC in goals-against average in the regular season
- Piled up 15 caused turnovers, good for 3rd on the team
- 3.567 GPA majoring in Criminal Justice – 2-time WU President's List, 4-time Dean's List
- United Way Intern, works with campus rec & campus safety
- Wingate Baptist Church food drive volunteer, United Way Day of Caring, Elementary school TA

Tucker Mullis – Track & Field/Football
- 3-time All-SAC honoree in the shot put, preseason All-SAC long-snapper in football
- Earned Track & Field Academic All-District honors
- 3.814 GPA majoring in Management – 5 times President's List, 2-time Dean's List
- Porter Byrum School of Business Management award
- Volunteer firefighter/OneDay, OneDog day of service/Football Special Olympics Field Day

Sophie Schaff – Volleyball
- Back-to-back 1st Team All-SAC selection; 2019 AVCA honorable mention All-American
- 3.398 GPA, majoring in Sport Management; member of WU President's List & Dean's List
- AVCA All-Region honoree helped 'Dogs to 3 regular season SAC titles, 2 tourney titles, 1 region title
- Part of Women's Leaders in College Sports Organization; worked multiple high school camps
- OneDay/OneDog, works with Campus Rec & WU Athl. Communications; coaches club team in Texas

Roy Stepanov – Men's Tennis
- 2021 SAC Scholar-Athlete, earning 2nd Team All-SAC singles honors for SAC champs
- 4.000 GPA, majoring in Finance – WU President's List all 5 semesters at Wingate
- ITA Scholar-Athlete and 2021 SAC Elite 20 Award winner
- Went 10-3 in singles play in 2021, with a 9-0 record against SAC opponents
- NC Special Olympics volunteer/Monroe High School tennis clinic volunteer/SAAC/Day of Caring

Andrew Strickland - Football
- 2021 SAC Scholar-Athlete, 2020 SAC Man of the Year
- One of only 3 players in 2019 to earn NFCA All-American honors & Academic All-America accolades
- Graduated with a 3.817 GPA, majoring in Accounting – currently working on Masters degree
- Byrum Accounting Award as WU's top student/SAC/McCloskey Insurance Postgrad Scholarship
- FCA/OneDay, OneDog volunteer/Special Olympics Field Day/Boys & Girls Club of Union County

Kendall Wells – Women's Lacrosse
- The all-time leading goal scorer in SAC history, ranking 2nd in league history in total points
- 3.715 GPA, majoring in Biology – President's List/Dean's List, National Society of Leadership & Success
- 3-time All-SAC selection piled up 213 goals & 49 assists – only player in league history with 200 goals
- Volunteered at River Health & Rehab Center as certified nursing assistant in 2018
- OneDay, OneDog volunteer, United Way Day of Caring

Male Freshman of the Year

Nick Bennett, Men's Soccer
- SAC Tournament MVP
- Led the SAC champion Bulldogs with 6 goals, 2nd on the team with 12 points
- Had 3 game-winning goals on the season including SAC semis & SAC title game
- Also scored the game-winning goal in his collegiate debut against Coker

Sam Broderson, Baseball
- Ranked 2nd on the team with 19 appearances, going 3-1 with a save and a 2.54 ERA in 28 innings
- Piled up 38 strikeouts and allowed opponents to hit just .186 against him
- Tossed 5 no-hit innings of relief in the national title game to earn the win, allowing just 1 baserunner
- Also got the win in the SAC championship game, allowing just 1 run in 3 1/3 innings of work

KC Carlson, Men's Lacrosse
- Started 10 games at goalie for the 'Dogs, ranking 4th in the SAC in save percentage
- Piled up 111 saves in 10 games, posting an 8-2 record on the season
- Had 15 saves in his debut against Montevallo and 14 saves in win at #4 Lenoir-Rhyne
- Carlson had career-best 16 saves in the national quarterfinal win over #10 UIndy

Edis Nokic, Men's Tennis
- Posted an 8-4 record in singles play and 12-1 mark in doubles play for the SAC champs
- Won the clincher at 6 singles in the win over #13 Queens
- Went undefeated in singles & doubles play in the SAC Tournament
- Won his 1st 12 doubles matches, including 9 straight at #2 doubles for the Bulldogs

Ian Leighninger – Men's Swimming
- Won the WUSWIM Kevin Polansky Life, Love Life Award at the team's year-end awards
- All-BMC honors in the 200 Backstroke with his time of 1:49.02
- In his second collegiate meet, he won the 200 Backstroke in a dual meet at Queens
- Posted personal-bests in the 200 IM (1:52.76) and the 400 IM (4:01.94) at the BMC meet

Female Freshman of the Year

Peyton Davis – Women's Basketball
- Davis earned a spot on the All-SAC Freshman Team, ranking 2nd on the team in assists & 4th in points
- She led the team with 27 steals while shooting 81 percent at the free throw line
- Scored in double figures 10 times on the season, pouring in 18 points in the win at Lenoir-Rhyne
- Davis handed out 10 assists in the win at UVA Wise, adding 8 points

Heaven Maness – Softball
- SAC Freshman of the Year, 1st Team All-SAC, 1st Team All-Region
- Led Wingate in average, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, slugging percentage & total bases
- 2nd in the SAC in average, 3rd in triples, 5th in doubles, 6th in slugging, 7th in stolen bases, 8th in RBI
- Had 15 multi-hit games and a team-best 8 multi-RBI games – reached base safely in 20 straight games

Sofia Ring – Women's Golf
- Finished 3rd on the team with a 79.08 stroke average
- Appeared in 5 of Wingate's 6 tournaments in her first season
- Notched a pair of top-15 finishes on the season – 1st-round 75 at the Hargett led to 14th-place finish
- Fired a final-round 72 at the Lady Bearcat Invitational

Mollie Scott – Track & Field
- Scott earned All-SAC honors in the 10,000 meters
- She finished 3rd in the event with a personal-best time of 36:54.18
- Recorded outdoor personal-best in the 1500 meters (4:51.93, LR Bears Open)
- Personal-best in the 5000 meters at Lee Last Chance Meet (17:38.02, Lee Last Chance)

Lorna Stacherski – Volleyball
- Earned a spot on the All-SAC Freshman Team
- Appeared in 10 of 12 matches for the SAC champs, hitting .295 with 1.93 kills per set
- Finished 4th in the conference in hitting percentage
- Hit .400 or better in six of her 10 matches on the season

Male Athlete of the Year

Iran Almeida – Men's Swimming
- Earned All-American honors in 5 events – 2 individual/3 relays
- Helped the Bulldogs finish 7th at the NCAA National Championship meet
- Finished as the national runner-up in the 200 Fly; won 100 & 200 Fly at BMC Meet
- Added a 7th-place showing in 100 Fly at Nationals while helping 3 relay teams finish top-8

Jarren Cottingham – Men's Basketball
- 1st Team All-SAC selection
- Led the Bulldogs and ranked 7th in the SAC with 17.4 points per game on 48% shooting
- Also led the 'Dogs with 64 assists & 35 steals, adding 4.0 rebounds per game, shooting 38% from 3
- Scored in double figures 15 times, including 10 games with at least 18 points

Enrico Giacomini – Men's Tennis
- Giacomini earned 1st Team All-SAC honors for the SAC champion Bulldogs
- Went 11-2 at #1 singles for the Bulldogs, with a 7-1 record against SAC opponents
- Added a 13-3 mark in doubles play, going 11-2 at #2 doubles
- Finished the season as the 37th-ranked singles player in the nation

Charles Joubert - Men's Golf
- Joubert broke his own school record with a 72.60 stroke average, earning 1st Team All-SAC honors
- Finished the season ranked 62nd in the nation according to GolfStat
- Won the Tennessee River Rumble, tying the 18 & 54-hole records while breaking 36-hole mark
- Joubert added a runner-up finish at the Hargett Memorial

Micah Kipchumba – Men's Track & Field
- Kipchumba won the 10,000 meters at the SAC championship meet (31:35.43)
- 3 weeks later, he ran a 10,000 meters' personal-record time of 29:36.12 at the Last Chance meet
- Posted a personal-best 5000 meters' time of 14:37.44 at April's Lee Invitational
- Ran a personal-record 1500 meters' time of 4:03.96 at the LR Bears Open in March

Brody McCullough – Baseball
- 1st Team All-SAC, 1st Team All-Region, 3rd Team All-American
- Went 7-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 20 appearances, adding 4 saves with 81 strikeouts in 69 innings
- 3-time SAC & Region Pitcher of the Week notched a win & a save in the regionals
- Went 8 innings to lead WU to 1st World Series win – went 6 innings 3 days later vs. #9 Angelo State

Reese Orman – Men's Lacrosse
- Consensus 1st Team All-American – USILA National Long Stick Midfielder of the Year
- Earned 1st Team All-SAC & All-Region honors for the 4th-ranked Bulldogs
- Anchored a defense that led the SAC in goals-against average during the regular season
- Led the Bulldogs with 28 caused turnovers/2nd with 68 ground balls – top 5 in SAC in both

Female Athlete of the Year

Sara Aringsmann – Women's Swimming
- Piled up 5 All-American swims (2 individual/3 relay) to help WU finish 6th at NCAA championships
- Finished 5th in the 100 Free & 8th in the 200 IM; added an 11th-place showing in the 200 Free
- Part of top-5 200 Medley, 400 Medley & 400 Free Relay teams;
- She has compiled 11 All-American swims during her illustrious career

Megan Biase – Women's Lacrosse
- SAC Defensive Player of the Year
- Earned 1st Team All-SAC & 2nd Team All-Region accolades
- Led the SAC in save percentage, ranking 2nd in goals-against average & 3rd in total saves
- Notched the 1st shutout in program history to earn National Defensive Player of the Week honors

Shannon Kasprak – Volleyball
- SAC Player of the Year; 1st Team All-SAC
- Led the SAC with 10.9 assists per match; 3rd on team with 3.03 digs per set
- Ran WU offense that was 4th in nation in kills per set and 5th in hitting percentage & assists/set
- Kasprak was named the SAC Specialist of the Week 3 times in the shortened 2021 season

Heaven Maness – Softball
- SAC Freshman of the Year, 1st Team All-SAC, 1st Team All-Region
- Led Wingate in average, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, slugging percentage & total bases
- 2nd in the SAC in average, 3rd in triples, 5th in doubles, 6th in slugging, 7th in stolen bases, 8th in RBI
- Had 15 multi-hit games and a team-best 8 multi-RBI games – reached base safely in 20 straight games

Hailey McLaughlin – Women's Golf
- WGCA 2nd Team All-American finished in the top 10 in all 6 events in 2021
- 1st Team All-SAC honoree won the individual title at the SAC Championship
- Posted a school-record 74.20 stroke average; career-best 70 in the final round of SAC championship
- Finished 2nd at the Low Tide Event & 3rd at the Lander Invitational

Bryanna Troutman – Women's Basketball
- 1st Team All-SAC selection had 6 doubles-doubles on the season
- Led the 'Dogs with 13.8 points per game, adding 8.2 rebounds per game on 47% shooting
- Scored in double figures 11 of her last 12 games, scoring at least 15 points in 10 of those contests
- Had 20-point, 16-rebound effort at Mars Hill & 15-point, 20-boards performance at UVA Wise

Vanisha Wilshire – Women's Track & Field
- Earned 1st team All-American honors in the high jump for the 7th time in her career
- Won the High Jump & the Triple Jump at SAC Championships, finishing 3rd in the Long Jump
- Earned USTFCCA All-Region accolades in High Jump, Long Jump & Triple Jump
- Season-high tying 1.76 meters in high jump at nationals to finish 4th and earn 7th AA trophy

Bulldog Club Spirit Award

The spirit award recognizes an athlete that has dedicated at least three years of excellent service to the institution, community and the athletic department. Their spirit for Wingate is seen on and off the field. Nominees for this award show outstanding passion for Wingate athletics, are visible all over campus at sporting events and represent the Bulldog blue & gold with heart and pride.

Anne Abernathy, VB
Christian Della Cioppa, MTEN
Soren Nygaard, MSOC
Mind Puangcharoen, WGOLF
Sierra Street, WLAX

Wounded Bulldog Award 
This award is voted on by the Wingate Sports Medicine Team

Nina Cifolilli, WLAX
Sirod Cook, Football
Caroline Peters, WSOC
Marianna Warren, Volleyball

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. 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 a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 23 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.