Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs have once again earned the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award, recognizing the league's top athletic department for the entire academic year. The Bulldogs have now won each of the last 14 Excellence Cups, extending their own record.

"It's hard to believe that we've now won the Echols Cup 14 times in a row, but the results are clearly a reflection of the day-in and day-out efforts and hard work put in by our athletes, coaches and athletics' administrative staff," Wingate University President Dr. Rhett Brown says. "I love that the honor represents a total team effort. It's not a couple of squads, or a few coaches or several stand-out athletes -- it's commitment across the board."

This is the first Excellence Cup to be awarded since 2019, with no award being given in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID. The Bulldogs have 14 Excellence Cups all-time. Wingate's 14-year run is now the longest in league history by six years, eclipsing Elon's eight-year run from 1990-1997. The Bulldogs have won 14 Excellence Cups, while the other current 12 current SAC schools have combined to win five. Wingate, Carson-Newman and Catawba are the only three SAC schools to win an Excellence Cup this century.

"Winning the 2021-22 Echols Cup is a testament to the commitment and drive of our student-athletes and staff over the year," Director of Athletics Kelley Kish says. "To see SAC Championships and top finishes across our Fall, Winter and Spring sports shows the pride each program takes in representing Wingate University.  We celebrate this achievement today on our continuous path to being a model DII athletic department and institution."

The Echols Athletic Excellence Award is presented annually to the member athletic department that earns the highest point total based on cumulative final standings in each of the Conference's 20 sports. Regular season finish is used in the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's lacrosse, baseball and softball, while SAC Championship results are used for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf and men's and women's indoor and outdoor track. In the Echols Athletic Excellence Award formula, the champion will always receive 100 points and last place will receive 10 points regardless of the number of schools that sponsor that championship sport. The points earned for all other place finishes will vary based on the number of schools that sponsor that particular sport.

As usual, Wingate got off to a hot start in the fall, with both cross country teams rolling to titles at the SAC Championship meets. The Wingate men went on to win the region title and finish sixth at the NCAA Championships, while the women finished second at regionals and then notched a fifth-place showing at the national championships. The Wingate volleyball team won the regular season SAC title for the 15th time in the last 16 years, then earned their 16th consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldog football team added a second-place finish, with women's soccer finishing fifth.

The winter was highlighted by a SAC title from the women's basketball team, who went 21-3 in league play and earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Both track and field teams notched third-place finishes at the SAC Indoor Championships in February. The men's basketball team added a fourth-place finish.

The spring saw the Wingate baseball team defend its national title in style, going 21-2 in league play to capture the regular season championship. The women's tennis team won the regular season SAC title for the 11th time in 12 seasons. The Wingate women's lacrosse team finished second while winning a program-record 15 games and earning their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. The men's track and field team also captured a second-place finish at the SAC outdoor meet, with the women finishing third. The women's golf team finished second at the SAC Championship, with the Bulldog softball team, men's lacrosse team and men's tennis team adding third-place showings.
 
2021-22 SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award Final Standings

1. Wingate - 1642.33
2. Queens - 1601
3. Lenoir-Rhyne - 1464
4. Carson-Newman - 1147
5. Anderson - 1132.33
6. Limestone - 1125
7. Catawba - 1035.33
8. Newberry - 994.33
9. Lincoln Memorial - 953.5
10. Tusculum - 929.33
11. Coker - 475.5
12. Mars Hill - 472
13. UVA Wise - 313.33

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.