Cleveland----Previous Wingate University director of athletics Steve Poston is the 2022 recipient of the D2 CCA Meritorious Service award, presented by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association. Poston served Wingate University for 50 years with the last 20 years in the role of vice-president and director of athletics. He retired last December.
 
The D2 CCA Meritorious Service Award recognizes an athletics administrator with at least 10 years of service once he/she leaves the position, for the time and dedication they have made to Division II. The recipient is selected by the full CCA membership upon recommendation by its awards committee.
 
The intent is to recognize these individuals once they retire or depart Division II; however, if an individual goes above and beyond in service to Division II, in particular, the CCA, they may be recognized even if they are still employed at a Division II conference office or institution. The D2 CCA also honored California (Pa.) volleyball student-athlete Madeleine McKenna ('22) with its Meritorious Service Award.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate University president Dr. Rhett Brown
 
"I admire Steve Poston for many reasons, but perhaps the most important is that he's always considered his service to Wingate University a privilege. No matter the hours or the challenge, he was grateful for the opportunity to serve. I've never heard Steve once mention what the University owed him. He is the true definition of a humble servant."
 
D2 CCA president and CACC commissioner Daniel Mara
 
"The D2 CCA is proud to honor Steve and Madeleine as this year's recipients of the Meritorious Service Award and celebrate their significant impact on all of Division II. Steve's years of dedicated service have impacted thousands of student-athletes. Madeleine is at the start of an amazing career and has set the standard for student-athlete engagement in Division II."
 
Steve Poston's legacy
 
During Poston's two decades-plus as vice-president and director of athletics, the Bulldogs won 13 consecutive South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Cups. The other current 12 SAC schools combined for a total of five Excellence Cups during the same time frame. Wingate also led the conference in SAC titles, SAC Scholar-Athletes, Academic All-America honorees and Coaches of the Year during his tenure, while winning the only two team national titles in SAC history.


The Bulldogs have finished in the top 30 of the NCAA Division II Learfield Cup Standings each of the last six years and are once again in the top 10 after a solid fall in 2021. Wingate not only leads the SAC in Academic All-America honorees, but leads all of NCAA Division II since Poston's arrival as director of athletics.

Surround yourself with good people
 
Poston was quick to credit his support staff for the school's athletic achievements. The Bulldogs' continued success can be attributed to one of the top coaching staffs assembled in the country, with eight coaches who have been at the University for over 10 years. Wingate has six current head coaches who have been named the national Coach of the Year within the last decade.
 
Growth
 
The WU athletic program grew during Poston's tenure, as the school added women's golf, men's swimming, indoor and outdoor track and field, women's lacrosse and women's triathlon and field hockey. During Poston's last full year at the Bulldog helm, Wingate had 700-plus student-athletes.
 
Athletic honors
 
Poston was inducted into the Wingate Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. The longest-tenured administrator in the University's history, Poston received an honorary doctor in humane letters degree during Wingate's 2021 commencement exercises. He will join the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame this summer.
 
Local and national servant leader

A long-time community leader in Union County, Poston has served on the Monroe Rotary Club, Union County Habitat for Humanity and the Lee Park Christian Academy Board of Trustees. He represented the SAC with a four-year stint on the NCAA Division II Management Council. Poston served on the NCAA Nominating Committee, the NCAA Legislative Committee and the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship Committee.

Madeleine McKenna
 
A former volleyball student-athlete at California University of Pennsylvania, McKenna served as a member of the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2021 until 2022. McKenna was a vocal advocate on behalf of all student-athletes. Her work with the SAAC allowed her to serve as a student-athlete representative for the NCAA Constitution Committee as well as the Division II Management Council, focusing on the importance of student-athlete well-being and mental health.
 
McKenna was a leader both in and out the classroom, earning the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2020 and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Award for four consecutive years. Today, McKenna is pursuing a career in athletics, in addition to obtaining her master's degree, with the goal of continuing to advocate for and support the mental health needs of student-athletes.
 
About D2 CCA
 
Initiated in 1992 to promote its member conferences and institutions, D2 CCA has made its mark in providing a united front for NCAA Division II athletics. Created after the break-up of the College Division Commissioners Association, the D2 CCA continues to create lines of communication and opportunities for its member conferences.
 
The D2 CCA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 57th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations which fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
 
About 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 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.