NEWS | Wingate NCAA announcement
NEWS | Agger, Marcos and Muhlberger feature
VIDEO | NCAA championships live video
 
Indianapolis, Ind.----Much like his coaching counterparts, Wingate University head men's and women's swimming coach Kirk Sanocki spends February and March in sprint mode. It's the time of year when his teams are chasing postseason glory. Following his program's two victories in the inaugural South Atlantic Conference championship meet last month, Sanocki's hard work was validated as his peers voted him SAC Coach of the Year for both men's and women's swimming.
 
Credit where credit is due
 
In true Kirk Sanocki fashion, the 22-year Bulldog mentor was quick to give credit to his staff and his student-athletes. "Any time someone coaches for two decades-plus at the same place, they believe each group is special in its own unique way," Sanocki says.

"Times are different, circumstances change, personnel shifts, but at the end of the day, coaches have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their student-athletes," Sanocki says. "I have been very fortunate to surround myself with great coaches and outstanding student-athletes."
 
'Unbelievable chemistry'
 
Next on the postseason agenda for Sanocki and his Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs is the NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships in Indianapolis tonight through Saturday night inside the Indiana University Natatorium at IUPUI.
 
Sanocki will rely on each member of his staff to help the team reach its potential. "This year's staff has unbelievable chemistry," Sanocki says. "We check our egos at the door and work together as a unit. We want to have fun at what we are trying to do and we want to be sure the student-athletes realize they should have fun as well."
 
Familiar faces, new places
 
Sanocki has three WU alumni and one future Bulldog alum on his five-person staff. Kevin Hennessy ('10) is the associate head coach for men's and women's swimming. He has 17 years invested in Wingate as a student-athlete, an alumnus and a coach. "Kevin was a member of our men's program during its infancy," Sanocki says. "He knows our expectations and our system. Kevin has the perfect personality. He and I are different, which is good. We feed off each other very well."
 
Ben Evans ('20) returned to his alma mater last summer as an assistant coach for men's and women's swimming. "Ben's first year back has been a huge success," Sanocki says. "We had an opportunity to give him specific focus areas and he has taken them on and run with them. Ben is familiar with our system as a previous student-athlete. The energy and enthusiasm he brings to the fold is unbelievably strong."
 
Kirk Sanocki's two graduate assistant coaches include a Bulldog swimming alum and a soon-to-be MBA graduate. As is the case with Kevin Hennessy and her teammate Ben Evans, Mathilde Cros ('20) lettered four seasons for Coach Sanocki. She will graduate in December with a second Wingate degree, her Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
 
"Mathilde has her fingerprints on everything we do as a staff," Sanocki says. "She has worked tirelessly with our student-athletes on both the mental and physical sides of our sport. Mathilde's contributions to our marketing and social media efforts are unparalleled."
 
Kirk Sanocki's son, Carson, has served two years as a graduate assistant coach following a four-year swimming career at Queens University of Charlotte. Carson is working on his MBA through Wingate University's Ballantyne campus.
 
"Obviously, I know Carson well," the elder Sanocki says. "This has been a unique time for both of us. Carson has assumed a big role in our dryland workouts, thanks to both his experiences at Queens and his connectivity with the Paralympic swimming movement."
 
A new twist…
 
As chairman of the NCAA Division II men's and women's swimming and diving committee, Kirk Sanocki has had a front-row seat as his sport has navigated a global pandemic and the normal day-to-day work of an NCAA committee.
 
A new twist for the 2023 championships is the five-day format. This year's event begins tonight with the 800 Freestyle Relay at 6 p.m. Starting Wednesday and running through Saturday, Bulldog fans will certainly recognize the 10 a.m. preliminaries and 6 p.m. championship finals set-up for four days. The scheduling change allows each night to conclude with a relay race.
 
The NCAA will provide live video for each of the nine sessions at this link. Live results are available through the NCAA's partnership with Meet Mobile.
 
What They Are Saying
Queens University of Charlotte director of swimming operations Jeff Dugdale
 
"The experience each team and student-athlete has had this postseason is the result of the hard work Kirk and his staff have put in above and beyond deck time. I have missed sharing the deck with Kirk this winter, but I have enjoyed watching from afar the performances his student-athletes have delivered."
 
"The #OneDog mentality is clear and present as the nation can see. Being named the Coach of the Year by his SAC peers is recognition of his team's performance and the respect all have for the results delivered. I wish Kirk, his staff and his WU student-athletes good luck at nationals."
 
WU Swimming alumnus and previous assistant coach Sebastian Holmberg ('18)
 
"My time at Wingate with Coach Kirk Sanocki showed me that you can always push it one step further than you thought was possible. This has given me grit and determination to face challenges in life both inside and outside of the pool."
 
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 the past 14 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
Editor's notes:
 
OneDog, #OneDog, and One Day One Dog are registered trademarks of Wingate University.
 
Story graphic and photo courtesy Wingate University assistant athletic director for creative services Dominique Maneice. Pictured left-to-right are Mathilde Cros, Kevin Hennessy, Kirk Sanocki, Ben Evans, Carson Sanocki and WU assistant athletic trainer for men's and women's swimming Rudy Morrow.