Wingate, N.C.----Wingate's fall sports teams have each had successful seasons in 2022 in the first semester unimpacted by Covid-19 since January of 2020. From cross country to football, volleyball to soccer, almost every sport that Wingate has participated in this fall has either found themselves as conference champions or in the NCAA tournament for their respective sports.
 
Every sport was affected by the pandemic beginning in the spring of 2020. The fall sports that year were either forced to play abridged schedules or postpone the season until spring of 2021 in hopes of playing a full season. The effects of the pandemic continued to spill over into fall of 2021, as University mask mandates and social distancing still remained in effect with no timeline as to when they would be lifted. Student-athletes were affected as much as regular students.
 
Fall 2022, however, marked the first full semester since fall of 2019 that was uninhibited by the pandemic or any outside factors. The success as a result has been on full display. Wingate University president Dr. Rhett Brown has high praise for the programs and most importantly, the University as a whole.
 
"Wingate's athletic teams and our administrative staff kept our programs active and productive during the height of the pandemic," Brown says. "And due to the successful foundation we've built over the last couple of decades, the fall teams are continuing the University's run of great results. And I can't say enough good things about our sports medicine and student health center teams. There's no way we're as safe and successful without their extraordinary efforts."
 
One of the success stories in question is the football team. After a loss to Newberry, costing them a chance at the South Atlantic Conference championship, the team thumped UVA Wise the following week 45-7 to earn the No. 5 seed in Super Region 2. After a shortened 2020 season and a disappointing end to the 2021 campaign, Bulldog head coach Joe Reich is pleased with his team's progress now in the absence of the virus.
 
"The overall mental well-being of our guys [is better,]" Reich said. "We are back to semi-normal now and things are operating as they should and the guys seem happier for it. Our training was drastically affected by Covid, so to have no restrictions and to be able to be in groups and work out together has obviously been fantastic and has helped us get better as a team."
 
Volleyball is another sport that has had a remarkable season after the pandemic's departure. After losing to Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA tournament a season ago, the Bulldogs have responded by taking the South Atlantic Conference regular season title with a 25-2 record, winning the SAC tournament championship with a 3-0 sweep of Carson-Newman, earning a No. 25 national ranking, obtaining the first seed and another tourney title in the Southeast Region, having the SAC Player of the Year and possessing one of the highest-ranked defenses in the nation.
 
Wingate head coach Shelton Collier, who also was named the 2022 SAC Coach of the Year to add to the team's accolades, praises his team for the success they had during the Covid seasons, but also attributes the team's success this year to the struggles faced during this time.
 
"Our team managed the Covid crisis in impressive fashion," Collier says. "[They] worked hard physically, stayed in touch via Zoom and we won another championship in the Covid season, [which was] really rewarding. The fact that we stayed strong together as a team, and made significant progress both individually and as a team during a challenging period, set us up for the success we are now experiencing. I am so proud of our team for adapting during and after Covid, really showing a special maturity and determination."
 
These two teams are not the only sports to achieve success this fall. Cross country won the South Atlantic Conference and Southeast Region championships and is on its way to the national championships in Seattle, Washington, joining the volleyball team at the Fall Festival. Men's soccer claimed its regular season conference title, and women's soccer reached the SAC tournament finals before falling to Limestone. Both teams headed to the NCAA tournament as seven seeds in the Southeast Region, with the men's team winning its first two regional matchups against Converse and Lenoir-Rhyne on penalty kicks.
 
Thus, almost every sport at the University has a postseason appearance to go along with some form of regular season success, the only exception being field hockey, which is in its inaugural season. Wingate assistant athletic director Molick Scott believes the success of the University's sports can be viewed as a demonstration of recovery for not only the University as a whole, but the town of Wingate and Union County in general.
 
"I think one can see the results of recovery through the performance of our sports programs," Scott says. "This is one of the best fall seasons success-wise that our school has experienced in a few years, with multiple programs earning post-season bids into the NCAA tournament. Our student-athletes have been eager to get back out there in front of the fans, community and their family members and they are thriving from this support."
 
Others around the University agree with Scott. "We've been successful in bouncing back from the pandemic because of cooperation and collaboration on- and off-campus." Dr. Brown says. "Whether it's the school system, business/industry, local government or community agencies, the story is the same—working together makes us all better and more resilient in challenging times."
 
"As far as Union County is concerned, I do think that is a microcosm of what is happening here," Reich says. "[Whether that be] improving mental health [or] improving quality of life."
 
"At Wingate, we are all so proud of the amazingly successful athletic program we have established in every sport on campus," Collier says. "And we enjoy the great community support for all the programs."
 
The school's sports success this fall, the first semester uninhibited by Covid in over two years, appears to be a visual representation of recovery from the pandemic for Union County as a whole. The University has rallied around its athletic success, and hopes that others will be able to follow the example set by the school this year in terms of recovery.
 
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 38 undergraduate majors as well as seven master's and four 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; 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 25 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 14 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
Editor's note: Wingate University senior Robert (RJ) Rennie, Jr. provided this story. Rennie is a senior sports media major with an emphasis in sports broadcasting. He hopes to work in play-by-play broadcasting after graduation. Currently, Rennie works for the Wingate University athletic communications department, serving as a color commentator as well as doing occasional play-by-play work.