VIDEO | Play of the Year Nominees

Wingate, N.C.----For the first time since 2019, the WUSPYS will take place in person this year. The Wingate University Athletic Department was unable to host a show in 2020 and 2021, handing out awards virtually. The 2022 WUSPYS will take place Monday, April 25 at the Union County Agricultural Center. Doors open at 4:45 on Monday for the red carpet show, with dinner being served starting at 5 p.m. The team awards will be handed out at 5:30, with the WUSPYS show getting underway at 6 p.m. Below are all of the nominees for each of the 16 categories along with their accomplishments. 

A ballot has been sent out to over 100 voters, consisting of members of Wingate's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Wingate coaches and Wingate administration, along with members of the Sports Medicine Team and the Sports Performance Team. Voting will run through Thursday. All the winners will be announced during Monday's show. The full 2022 WUSPYS will air Tuesday evening. For more information go to www.wingatebulldogs.com/wuspys.

FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Jess Brown, Women's Golf
- After appearing in two tournaments last season, Brown played in nine this year
- Shaved over six shots off her stroke average, going from 83.25 to 77.19
- Posted 3 top-10 finishes in the 2021-22 season, with a fourth-place showing at the Spring Kickoff
- Brown finished fifth at the SAC Championships, firing a final-round one-under par 71

Alicia Rubio Garcia, Women's Soccer
- After notching 5 goals and 7 assists her first 3 seasons, Rubio piled up 9 goals and 3 assists in 2021
- She earned first team All-SAC honors for her efforts this season
- Led the Bulldogs in goals and points, netting a pair of game-winning goals
- Ranked 4th in the SAC in goals and 7th in points

Bella Pellet, Women's Lacrosse
- After scoring 25 goals in her first 3 seasons, Pellet has poured in 36 goals so far this year
- Her 40 points this are more than her total from her three previous years combined (36)
- She is second on the team in goals and third in points, helping Wingate to a program-best 13 wins
- Pellet also has career highs of 15 caused turnovers, 17 ground balls and 8 draw controls

Sara Stroud, Softball
- After hitting .264 with a homer, 9 RBI and 22 runs as a freshman, Stroud has had a big second Year
- She is hitting .312 with 11 homers, 19 RBI and 50 runs scored through 42 games
- Stroud leads the 'Dogs in homers, helping Wingate set a program record for single-season bombs
- 3rd in the SAC in runs scored and 5th with 25 stolen bases in 25 attempts, ranking 8th in slugging %

Lauren Sullivan, Women's Basketball
- Appeared in 12 games as a freshman with 32 points and 8 assists
- Led the team in minutes played as a sophomore, with 8.0 points per game and 105 assists
- Led the Bulldogs in assists on the season, while knocking down a team-best 56 threes
- Led the SAC in three-point percentage during the regular season, ranking in the top 10 nationally

MALE BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Kamal Desor, Football
- Registered 19 catches through his first 2 seasons at Wingate
- Had 26 catches for 355 yards and 5 touchdowns in the 2021 season
- Second on the team in receptions, yards and touchdown grabs
- Hauled in multiple catches in 5 of his 6 games during the 2021 season  

Mitch Farris, Baseball
- Hit .172 in 29 at-bats through his first two seasons, while also posting a 4.11 ERA
- Is hitting .398 this year with a team-best 9 homers and 40 RBI
- Has a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings of work, going 5-1 while adding 2 saves, striking out 42
- Top 10 in the SAC in homers, average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and triples

Saul Valdez, Men's Cross Country
- Was not a participant in the SAC or Region races for the 'Dogs in 2019
- Earned All-SAC and All-Region honors in 2021, helping WU win both races
- He finished 8th in both races for the Bulldogs
- Valdez posted an 8K personal best at the SAC meet and a 10K personal best at Regionals

Andreas Wilson, Men's Basketball
- After knocking down 45 threes his first 2 seasons, Wilson drained 82 triples in the 2021-22 season
- Averaged 11.3 points per game, ranking second on the team in scoring
- Wilson led the Bulldogs in threes made, shooting 39 percent from deep on the year
- Scored in double figures 18 times, which included 5 games with at least 20 points

UPSET OF THE YEAR

Men's Basketball vs. #17 Lincoln Memorial
- The Bulldogs handed LMU one of its 3 SAC losses of the 2021-22 season
- The 3-time defending SAC reg. season champion Railsplitters have just 6 SAC losses their last 63 games
- Jarren Cottingham had 21 points, with Sean Elmore added 15 for the 'Dogs
- A Rashaard Pringle block on a potential game-tying layup sealed the Bulldog win

Women's Basketball at #19 Carson-Newman
- The 'Dogs went on the road and handed the #19 Eagles one of their 2 home losses all season
- Wingate outscored Carson-Newman 28-22 in the final quarter to secure the 81-76 victory
- Bryanna Troutman had 18 points, with Lauren Sullivan adding 16 points and 8 assists
- Jaia Wilson contributed 15 points off the bench; Sullivan's block in the final seconds clinched the win

Women's Lacrosse vs. #13 Limestone
- The Bulldogs handed the 13th-ranked Saints their first SAC loss of the year in a 12-11 thriller
- It was the first victory over a ranked team in program history for the Bulldogs
- Leah Knowles scored on a free-position shot as the horn sounded to secure the win
- Knowles, Bella Pellet and Becca Ruiz had 3 goals each, with Megan Biase notching 7 saves in the win

Women's Tennis vs. #11 Newberry
- The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs started a streak of 3 straight wins over top-20 teams with this win
- The Wolves entered the match at 16-2 overall, but Wingate handed them their 3rd loss
- Ciaccia & Sambyakugari won at 1 doubles, Kosmrlj Lopez clinched the doubles point at 3 doubles
- Gunfaus, Lopez, Guidantoni and Sambyakugari picked up singles win to finish the 5-2 victory

Softball vs. #24 Anderson
- The Bulldogs handed the Trojans one of their 2 SAC losses with a 1-0 home victory
- Anderson has climbed into the top 20; they've only been shutout twice all season
- Sydney Kale went the distance, striking out 10 while allowing just 5 hits
- Sara Stroud scored the lone run, scoring when Heaven Maness reached on an error in the 6th

PLAY OF THE YEAR (WATCH HIGHLIGHT VIDEO)

Justin Armwood Pick 6
- With Wingate leading by 2 in the final minute, Armwood halted Tusculum's potential game-winning drive with an interception, then took it 94 yards to the house as time expired

Sean Elmore game-winner vs. Catawba
- Trailing by one in the final seconds against Catawba, Jarren Cottingham drove left then kicked it to Elmore at the top of the key, who buried a deep three to give the 'Dogs the one-point win.

Leah Knowles game-winner vs. #13 Limestone
- With the game tied with one second left, Knowles drew a foul and set up a free position shot, where she beat the keeper and found the back of the net as time expired to give WU the upset victory.

Willie Grieco game-winner vs. #7 Limestone
- With the contest tied at 10 in the opening minute of overtime, Grieco came from behind the net, beating his defender then ripping one past the goalie to give the 'Dogs the 11-10 victory in Charlotte.

Soren Nygaard goal vs. Tusculum
- In a scoreless game in the second half, Nygaard got the 'Dogs on the board by catching the Tusculum keeper off his line, lofting one over his head from nearly 40 yards out to give WU the lead

Kate Agger wins 500 Free National Title
- The 12-time All-American was neck and neck throughout the entire race, just behind her until the two made the final turn, when Agger passed her and out touched her to bring home the national title.

Grayson Chapman walk-off 3-run double vs. Newberry
- Trailing by 2 runs with 2 outs in the final inning, Chapman ripped a double down the right field line, scoring the first two runs easily, with Mitch Farris just beating the tag to give #2 Wingate the series win.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR (Non-Freshman)

John Caponi, Men's Lacrosse
- Caponi has appeared in every game at goalie for the #10 Bulldogs, making a pair of starts
- He has played a team-high 443 minutes in goal, leading WU with 78 saves and a .545 save %
- Caponi ranks third in the SAC in goals-against average and save percentage
- He piled up 15 saves in the victory over #7 Limestone

Josh Dotson, Baseball
- Dotson has made 10 starts on the mound in his first season at Wingate
- He is 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings of work, striking out 38
- Dotson ranks third in the SAC in ERA and 9th in wins
- He has not allowed more than 3 earned runs in any of his 10 starts, allowing 2 or less 9 times

Sean Elmore, Men's Basketball
- Elmore started all 29 games in his first season with the Bulldogs
- Ranked 4th on the team with 11.1 points per game and second with 77 threes
- Shot 35 percent from 3-point range while collecting 54 assists and 24 steals
- Knocked down the game-winner in the final seconds in the victory over Catawba

Savannah Lampley, Softball
- Lampley has started 38 games in her first season with the Bulldogs
- She ranks 4th on the team with a .315 average, with 2 homers, 4 doubles and 10 RBI
- Lampley has scored 24 runs on the year
- Blasted the go-ahead grand slam in Wingate's comeback win over Catawba

Alex Lopez, Women's Tennis
- Lopez is 15-4 in singles play in her first year at Wingate, ranking second on the team in wins
- She is 10-2 against SAC opponents in singles play
- 10 of her wins have been at #4 singles, adding a win at #2, #3 and 3 wins at #5 singles
- Has posted an 8-5 doubles record, going 8-2 against SAC opposition

Mary Ma, Women's Golf
- Ma has appeared in 7 tournaments in her first season at Wingate
- She has a 76.31 stroke average, ranking 2nd on the team
- Has 4 top-10 finishes including a pair of top-5 showings; hole-in-one in Surratt Inv.
- Finished 4th at the SAC Preview & against at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational

Katrine Thisgaard, Women's Soccer
- Thisgaard started all 16 games in goal during her first season at Wingate
- She played over 1360 minutes for the Bulldogs, posting a 10-3 record
- Thisgaard registered 42 saves and an .808 save percentage
- She ranked second in the SAC by posting 10 shutouts on the year 

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

Men's Basketball vs. Catawba
- The Bulldogs trailed by 11 with under 4 minutes left in regulation
- WU outscored Catawba 17-4 over the final 3:41 of the contest to earn the win
- An Elmore layup and two Cottingham free throws cut the lead to one with 38 seconds left
- Pringle blocked a Catawba layup, while Elmore buried a triple with a second left to put WU on top

Volleyball at Anderson
- SAC leaders Wingate and Anderson met at Anderson and the Trojans won the first 2 sets 25-23
- Wingate responded by winning the third set 25-22 and the fourth 25-22 to set up a fifth set
- The 'Dogs won the final frame 15-12, with Maggie Young slamming home match point
- Sophie Schaff had 20 kills, Young added 17 kills, Kasprak had 56 assists, 22 digs and 4 kills

Women's Basketball vs. Tusculum
- Wingate's 9-game winning streak was in jeopardy, trailing Tusculum 39-22 at halftime
- The 'Dogs outscored the Pioneers 20-4 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to one
- Free throws from Brandon and Clark put Wingate on top 2 minutes into the final quarter
- Back-to-back Troutman buckets with 1:30 left put the 'Dogs on top by 5

Women's Golf Surratt Championship
- The Bulldogs trailed by 4 shots after the first 2 rounds of their home tournament
- Wingate responded by shooting the best round of the tourney by 6 shots in the final round
- WU won by 2 thanks to the final-round 296, with McLaughlin making birdie on 3 of her last 5 holes
- Schrader finished 3rd with a final-round 72, McLaughlin was 4th, Brown was 5th while Ma was 8th

Softball vs. Catawba
- Catawba jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd before a Maness RBI triple tied it in the 3rd
- The Indians scored 2 in the 4th and 2 more in the 6th to take a 6-3 lead
- Wingate scored 6 times in the bottom of the 6th to take the lead
- Lampley provided the big blow, turning a 3-run deficit into a 1-run lead with her grand slam

Baseball vs. Newberry
- Wingate trailed all day against #17 Newberry, with the Wolves taking a 3-0 lead in the 3rd
- Mitch Farris tied it with a 3-run blast, but Newberry took a 4-3 lead in the 6th
- Another Farris homer tied it again, but the Wolves scored twice in the top of the 7th to make it 6-4
- A Walk and a single put 2 on, while an intentional walk to Farris sent Chapman up to clear the bases

GAME OF THE YEAR

Men's Basketball vs. Carson-Newman
- The back and forth contest featured 6 ties and 17 lead changes, with no team leading by more than 7
- Clark's 2 free throws with 20 seconds left tied it, while WU forced a stop to send it to OT
- CN took a 3-point lead with under a minute, but a Cottingham jumper cut it to 1 with 31 seconds left
- After another stop, Elmore missed a driving layup but Clark was there for the final-second putback

Men's Lacrosse vs. Limestone (Crown Classic)
- The top 10 teams met under the lights in Charlotte for an overtime thriller
- Goals from Fleming, Farley and Cottage gave the 'Dogs a 10-7 lead midway through the 4th
- Limestone answered with 3 goals in the final 5 minutes to send it to overtime
- The Bulldogs won the face-off and got it to the All-American Grieco
- He scored 49 seconds into the first OT to end it

Football vs. Tusculum
- Wingate celebrated homecoming with a dramatic 43-35 win over Tusculum
- A 3-yard Dillon rushing TD and 1-yard score from Clark gave WU a 34-21 lead in the 3rd
- Tusculum scored two straight touchdowns to go on top by 1 with 7 minutes left
- Robertson's 23-yarder with 1:46 left put WU on top; Armwood's 94-yard pick-6 capped it

Volleyball vs. Mars Hill (SAC Quarterfinals)
- Wingate trailed Mars Hill 2-0 in the opening round of the SAC Tournament in Cuddy Arena
- The 'Dogs took the third set 25-18, then rolled to a 25-7 win in set four to send it to a fifth
- MHU led 10-9, but a Lambillotte kill sparked a 3-0 WU run, with a Blackley kill making it 14-11
- Young's kill ended the match, sending the Bulldogs to the SAC semis

Women's Soccer at Lenoir-Rhyne
- The Bulldogs went to Hickory and picked up a big SAC road win on the final day of the regular season
- The Bears would go on to advance to the NCAA D2 National Semifinals
- Thisgaard notched 3 saves to preserve the Bulldog shutout
- Sophie Husted found the back of the net in the 83rd minute to give the 'Dogs the win

Men's Cross Country Wins Regional Championship
- The Bulldogs rolled to the first regional title in Wingate MXC history
- Wingate had 7 of the top 12 finishers to win by 40 points over Queens
- Nutter was WU's top finisher in 3rd place, with Mrochen and Sauers finishing 6th and 7th
- Valdez, Le Grix and Way were 8th, 9th and 10th, while Nadeborn finished 12th

Women's Cross Country Finishes 5th at National Championships
- After never finishing better than 24th at nationals, the 'Dogs finished 5th in 2021
- Orrock (5th) and Schierl (40th) both earned All-Amerian honors
- The freshman Rebollo just missed AA honors at 44th place
- Tumey and Scott rounded out the top 6 for the 'Dogs

Women's Triathlon finishes second at USA Triathlon National Championships
- Wingate's inaugural season ended with an impressive runner-up finish
- The Bulldogs were led by national champion Finja Schierl
- Fellow freshman Julia Kekkonen added a 4th-place finish for the Bulldogs
- Dylan Kirchner was an honorable mention All-American with a 16th-place showing

MEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR

Baseball
- Defending national champions are 38-5 overall and 18-2 in the SAC
- The Bulldogs have been ranked #1 or #2 in every poll this season

Cross Country
- Won first-ever SAC title and first-ever region title
- Finished 6th at NCAA Championships, highest in program history

Men's Lacrosse
- After reaching the final 4 in 2021, the 'Dogs are 10-3 overall and 7-2 in the SAC
- Wingate has been ranked in the top 10 of the USILA poll all season

Men's Swimming
- The Bulldogs notched an 8th-place finish at the NCAA National Championships
- 11th top-8 finish for Wingate since the 2009 season; 15 straight years in top 20

WOMEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR

Women's Basketball
- Wingate went 24-6 overall and 21-3 in the SAC, capturing the SAC title
- The Bulldogs won a program-record 18 straight games during the season

Women's Golf
- The Bulldogs finished 2nd at the SAC Championships, adding a win at the Surratt Inv.
- Wingate is ranked 14th in GolfStat national rankings; 6 top-3 finishes this season

Women's Cross Country
- Wingate won the SAC championship by 16 points, then finished 2nd at Regionals
- The 'Dogs were the top regional team at nationals with a program-best 5th-place showing

Women's Lacrosse
- The Bulldogs are 13-2 overall and 8-1 in the SAC, with a program-record 13 wins
- Wingate has cracked the top 25 for the 1st time in program history, currently ranked #21

Women's Swimming
- The Bulldogs finished 11th at the national championships, highlighted by Agger's national title
- Wingate has 10 straight top-11 finishes and 12 consecutive top-20 showings

Women's Tennis
- The Bulldogs are 11-1 in the SAC, winning the regular season SAC title for the 11th time in 12 years
- Wingate is 114-3 in league play during that 12-year span

Women's Triathlon
- Wingate was the national runner-up at the USA Triathlon National Championships in its 1st season 
- Wingate had the individual national champion along with the fourth-place finisher

Volleyball
- Wingate went 24-5 overall and 15-3 in the SAC
- The Bulldogs claimed the regular season SAC title for the 15th time in 16 years

FRESHMAN FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Savanna Brooks, Softball
- Brooks has played in every game as a freshman, hitting .304 with 10 homers, 7 doubles and 48 RBI
- She leads the Bulldogs and ranks 3rd in the SAC in RBI, ranking 10th in the nation
- Brooks ranks 2nd in the SAC in triples, 7th in homers, 10th in total bases and 12th in slugging %
- She had 3 homers and 9 RBI in her first collegiate doubleheader, leading WU to a sweep over Augusta

Julia Kekkonen, Triathlon
- Finished 4th at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships
- Earned All-American honors as a freshman with her 4th-place showing
- Her strong finish helped the Bulldogs finish as national runner-up
- Kekkonen was Wingate's top finisher at the home meet, Wingate's first-ever Triathlon contest

Kelsea Munro, Women's Swimming
- Munro notched a pair of First Team All-American swims in her first year at Wingate
- She also had two honorable mention All-American performances
- She helped WU finish 6th in the 200 Free Relay and 8th in the 400 Medley Relay
- She was an All-BMC honoree in 6 events, with a 2nd-place finish in the 400 Free Relay

Gemma Rebollo, Cross Country/Track & Field
- Earned All-SAC & All-Region honors in Cross Country, helping the 'Dogs finish 5th in the nation
- Rebollo posted a national-championship 6K time of 21:30.6, just missing All-American honors 
- She was one of 19 runners to compete in the NCAA indoor 5000 meters in March
- Her 16:42.09 qualifying time smashed the previous WU school record by over 16 seconds

Suzuka Sambyakugari, Women's Tennis
- Sambyakugari is 17-1 in singles play this year, leading the #12 Bulldogs in wins
- She is 11-0 against SAC opponents; 16 of her 18 matches have been at #6 singles
- She plays #1 doubles with Camilla Ciaccia – they are the #13 doubles duo in the nation
- They are 10-4 at #1 doubles this season and 8-2 in league play

FRESHMAN MALE OF THE YEAR

Collin Dutton, Men's Golf
- Dutton ranks second on the team with a 74.26 stroke average this season
- He has posted four top-25 finishes in his first season at Wingate
- Dutton fired rounds of 66 and 67 at the Queens Invitational to finish 15th
- He shot 74, 72, 72 at the Hargett Memorial to notch an 8th-place finish

Peyton Farley, Men's Lacrosse
- The freshman has started all 13 games for the #10 Bulldogs
- He lads Wingate and ranks 9th in the SAC with 22 caused turnovers
- Farley also has 27 ground balls and a pair of goals on the year
- He forced 6 turnovers in the Newberry win to earn SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors

Miguel Marcos, Men's Swimming
- Marcos earned 3 First Team All-American swims in his first season at Wingate
- He finished 2nd in the nation in the 1650 Free, breaking a 10-year-old school record in the process
- Marcos was 6th in the 500 Free and 3rd in the 1000 Free
- He won the 1000 Free at the BMC Championships,

Scott Nutter, Men's Cross Country
- Nutter eared 1st Team All-SAC & All-Region honors
- He helped lead the Bulldogs to their first ever SAC & Regional Championships
- He was 3rd at Regionals and 5th at the SAC Championship
- He broke the 10K school record with his regional finish of 30:41.1

Florian Walcher, Men's Tennis
- Walcher is 12-3 in singles play this season, with 14 of those 15 matches coming at #1 singles
- He is the #58 ranked singles player in the nation
- Walcher is 10-1 against SAC opponents at #1 singles
- 10-6 at #2 doubles, going 9-2 against conference opponents

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Kate Agger, Women's Swimming
- Agger won the national championship in the 500 Free
- She earned 4 First Team All-American trophies in 2022
- 1st in 500 Free, 3rd in the 1000 Free, 3rd in 1650 Free 7th in the 200 Free
- Agger has earned 12 First Team All-American trophies in her WU career

Camilla Ciaccia, Women's Tennis
- Ciaccia has played #1 singles & #1 doubles for the SAC champion Bulldogs
- Ranked 23rd in the nation in singles play and #13 in doubles play
- 12-6 at #1 singles with a 9-2 mark in SAC play; 13-5 at #1 doubles; 8-2 in SAC play
- The All-SAC honoree was the 2019 ITA Region Rookie of the Year

Shannon Kasprak, Volleyball
- Earned 1st Team All-SAC and All-Region honors, leading WU to regular season SAC title
- The 2021 Spring SAC Player of the Year earned AVCA honorable mention All-American honors in the fall
- Ran a WU offense that ranked in the top 10 nationally in kills per set and assists per set
- Kasprak led WU in assists and aces, ranking 2nd in digs, 5th in blocks and 6th in kills

Leah Knowles, Women's Lacrosse
- Knowles leads WU in goals, assists, caused turnovers, ground balls and draw controls
- Has led Wingate to program-record 13 wins and the first-ever top-25 ranking
- 2nd in the SAC in caused turnovers, 3rd in shooting %, 4th in points, 5th in goals, 6th in draw controls
- Earned 1st Team All-SAC and IWLCA All-Region accolades in the 2021 season

Bryanna Troutman, Women's Basketball
- 2022 SAC Player of the Year earned All-Region & Honorable Mention All-American honors
- Piled up 18.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 51% shooting from the field
- Ranked 3rd in the SAC in scoring, 4th in field goal%, 7th in rebounding and 2nd in field goals made
- Double figures in 27 of 29 games on the season with 20 or more points in 15 games

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Jarren Cottingham, Men's Basketball
- Cottingham earned 1st Team All-SAC honors, adding NABC All-Region accolades
- Led the Bulldogs and ranked 6th in the SAC with 16.2 points per game
- Ranked 2nd on the team in assists and steals while ranking 3rd in rebounding
- Scored in double figures in 26 of 29 games, with 15 or more points on 17 occasions

Willie Grieco, Men's Lacrosse
- The 2021 consensus First Team All-American is having another big year in 2022
- He leads the nation in points per game, ranking 3rd nationally in assists per game
- Grieco has 37 goals and 43 assists through 13 games this season for #10 Wingate 
- The junior is the program's all-time leader in career assists

Brody McCullough, Baseball
- The 2021 All-American is turning in another dominant year on the mound
- McCullough is 7-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 43 innings of work
- He leads the SAC and ranks 12th in the nation in ERA
- McCullough is second nationally with 16.95 strikeouts per 9 innings

McLean Robertson, Football
- Robertson earned 1st Team All-American honors from the AFCA & Associated Press
- School's all-time leader in career points and field goals
- Led the nation in field goals per game and total field goals
- Hit 52 of 64 career field goals, with 18 coming from at least 40 yards

Elliott Zirwas, Track & Field
- Zirwas has the number one outdoor shot put mark in the SAC this season
- His 18.38-meter effort won the Charlotte 49er Classic
- The NCAA provisional shot put mark is the 6th-best effort in D2 this season
- Zirwas is 2nd on the 2022 SAC outdoor charts in the discus throw and the hammer throw

GEDDINGS AWARD (Best Overall Student-Athlete)

McKenna DeLong, Women's Soccer
- DeLong was named the 2021 Women's Soccer SAC Scholar-Athlete
- She has a 3.83 GPA, majoring in Finance
- DeLong earned 1st Team All-SAC and All-Region honors in 2021
- She is a 3-time All-SAC honoree

Kayleigh Hiles, Women's Lacrosse
- Hiles earned the SAC Women's Lacrosse Elite 20 Award in 2021
- She has a 3.949 GPA, majoring in Biology
- Hiles has 10 goals and 10 assists on the year, adding 7 draw controls
- She has helped the Bulldogs earn their first ranking in program history

Logan McNeely, Baseball
- McNeely was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2021 D2 World Series
- He graduated with a 3.69 GPA in Exercise Science and is currently enrolled in MBA Program
- He hit .500 in Wingate's NCAA Tourney run to the national title in 2021
- McNeely is hitting .360 for the #2 Bulldogs this year with 32 RBI and 40 runs scored

Jonas Soerensen, Men's Swimming
- Soerensen took home the title in the 1650 Free at the 2022 BMC Championship
- He has a 4.00 GPA, majoring in Finance
- He finished 5th in the 1,000 Free to earn 1st Team All-American honors
- 2021 First Team Academic All-America honoree is a 6-time First Team All-American

Andrew Strickland, Football
- Was named the SAC Scholar-Athlete in the spring of 2021 and fall of 2021
- 3.817 GPA in Accounting; Named the SAC Man of the Year in 2020
- 3-time Academic All-America honoree (1st Team in spring 2021 & fall of 2021)
- AFCA 2nd Team All-American in 2019 and again in 2021; AP All-American in 2021

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.

Dom Byers, Baseball
Kasey Eastland, Volleyball
Camryn Gallagher, Women's Lacrosse
Alyssa Hall, Softball
Tucker Mullis, Football/Track & Field

WOUNDED BULLDOG AWARD (voted on by Sports Medicine Team)

Ricky Clark, Baseball
Heaven Maness, Softball
Rashaard Pringle, MBB
Lauren Sullivan, WBB
Adam Vodovnik, MLAX

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 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 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.