Rock Hill, S.C.----The South Atlantic Conference announced the 2023 Hall of Fame Class Wednesday afternoon, and Wingate University volleyball All-American Stormi Gale is part of this year's six-member class. Gale was inducted into the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame in the Fall of 2022.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be able to represent WUVB in the SAC Hall of Fame," Gale says. I'll always have such fond memories of my time at Wingate and owe so much of my success to the growth I experienced there."

Gale pushed Wingate volleyball to new heights during her incredible four-year career, leading the Bulldogs to 131-8 overall record and 64-0 SAC mark in her four seasons, piling up eight conference titles and the program's first-ever regional championship in 2010. The four-time first team All-SAC honoree became the first player in program history to earn All-American accolades, picking up Daktronics first team honors in 2009 and second team recognition in 2010, while earning AVCA third team accolades both years.

"Stormi is without question the most influential player in the history of SAC volleyball," former head coach Shelton Collier says. "As the first All-American player ever in the SAC, she led Wingate to being the first SAC team ever to be nationally ranked and the first SAC team ever to qualify for the Elite Eight. For Stormi, losing was simply not an option, and she imposed her will to win on her teammates and the conference. Certainly one of my personal favorite memories was our 82-match SAC winning streak, followed by a 55-match SAC winning streak, and she was a key factor as we started that first amazing streak. Of course many players have contributed to Wingate's dominance of the conference over so many years, and there have been other talented All-Americans and key players, but Stormi was the player who truly elevated Wingate volleyball to an elite status. It is unheard of for a middle blocker to also be utilized as a primary passer and primary back-row attacker, and yet Stormi executed these high-level skills in addition to being a dominating front row player. Also, very impressively, she excelled as a pharmacy student and has had an extremely successful career as a specialist in her field. Everyone associated with Stormi is proud of her for her induction into the SAC Hall of Fame, and as her coach, I am especially proud of her personal, athletic and professional achievements."

After earning SAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2007, Gale was named the SAC Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. She was named the SAC Female Athlete of the Year her senior season as well, while also earning Academic All-America accolades. Gale was one of 30 finalists for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. She finished her incredible career with 1,545 kills, 1,083 digs, 421 blocks and a .320 hitting percentage. She is the school's all-time leader in kills per set, ranking second in kills and third in hitting percentage.

Gale graduated summa cum laude from the Wingate School of Pharmacy in 2015. After pharmacy school, she did two years of residency, including a year of specialty training in cardiology at the University of Maryland (2015-17). She then became an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (2017-21), followed by a position as a Clinical Cardiology Specialist on the Advanced Heart failure service at the University of Maryland Medical Center (2017-21). Gale has delivered several national presentations for professional organizations such as The American College of Cardiology and Heart Failure Society of America. She was elected as a Heart Failure Society of America Future Leader in Heart Failure (2019). In addition, she is Chair-Elect for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Cardiology Practice and Research Network, has over 15 publications in academic medical journals, and is currently a Cardiology Subject Matter Expert at Novant Health.

The 2023 South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame Banquet will take place as a part of the Conference's Spring Meetings in Greenville, S.C. on May 22.  

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.
 
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