COMPLETE RESULTS | Catawba Fleet Feet Invitational
 
Salisbury, N.C.----Wingate University's Gemma Rebollo began her second Bulldog athletics year much as she ended her first, as the true sophomore won the Fleet Feet Invitational at the Salisbury Community Park Saturday. Running her first collegiate 5K race, the 2022 NCAA outdoor track and field All-American posted a gold-medal time of 18:35.0. Rebollo and her teammates finished second in the 12-team race.
 
The 2021 South Atlantic Conference champions entered the 2022 campaign as the No. 6 team in the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) top 25 polls (complete poll). Both WU teams return home Saturday, Sept. 10 to host the Bulldog Stampede at the WU Cross Country facility. The men's 8K race begins at 8:30 a.m., while the women's 6K event follows at 9:30 a.m.

Meet Information
 
Top five teams: Catawba (42), Wingate (47), Queens (79), Lincoln Memorial (99) and Carson-Newman (117)
Individual finishers: 122 student-athletes representing 14 schools (12 NCAA, 2 NJCAA)
Location: Salisbury Community Park, Salisbury, N.C.
 
Inside the 5K results
 
- The Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs had six runners in the top 15
- Newcomer Doriane Langlois finished seventh with her time of 19:32.6
- WU runners occupied spots 12-15, as the 'Dogs collected 47 team points
- Meg Rapley and Grace Burrell finished 12th (20:14.9) and 13th (20:15.7), respectively
- Zoe Brickley was 0.1 seconds behind Burrell with her 14th place-time of 20:15.8
- Academic All-America candidate Tatjana Mense was 15th at 20:16.0
- Brooklyn Pierce rounded out Wingate's top seven, taking 17th at 20:23.2
- Catawba freshman Madison Clay led the host Indians with her silver-medal time of 18:59.3
- Catawba had four student-athletes in the top 10 to edge Wingate by five points (42-47)
- The South Atlantic Conference championships will be held on the same layout on Saturday, Nov. 5

Quotables
 
Wingate head cross country coach Pol Domenech: "We are very pleased with the race today. The plan was to run as a pack and get the first solid effort of the year, while also observing the SAC championships course. The women executed the plan really well. We stayed very controlled and composed all the way through and this is very encouraging. We have a long year ahead, but we are where we need to be."
 
Wingate sophomore Gemma Rebollo: "The first cross country meet was a great starting point for all of us! I feel extremely excited for what's about to happen this season. I'm ready to get all the work in on every workout and training session and enjoy the process with the entire team. I'm confident that great things are coming and I cannot wait to share this with all my teammates. I would like to give a special mention to my roommate Tatjana Mense for always being so supportive, she's definitely an inspiration to me!"
 
Up Next
 
Wingate hosts the Bulldog Stampede next Saturday, Sept. 10. Wingate has won the last eight Bulldog Stampedes in a row. The 'Dogs finish the month at Lehigh University's Paul Short Run on Sept. 30.
 
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.