Wingate, N.C.----The defending regular season SAC co-champion Wingate University Bulldogs open up the 2024-25 season this weekend, traveling to Young Harris to take on the Mountain Lions Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. The 'Dogs were scheduled to open up last weekend at the Tip-Off Challenge at Belmont Abbey, but both contests were cancelled. Wingate went 22-9 last season, with a 16-4 record in league play to capture a share of the regular season SAC title for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

The Bulldogs have been picked to finish fourth in the preseason SAC poll, with Kendall Taylor earning preseason second team All-SAC honors. In addition, Jordan Miller and Jaden Lingo have been named to the SAC "Players to Watch" list.

Wingate will have eight newcomers joining the squad this year. "Preseason has been interesting with eight new players and only one returning starter," head coach Brian Good says. "I have liked their competitiveness but with so many new faces it has been a challenge."

Taylor is the leading returning scorer, averaging 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, shooting 52 percent from the field and 82 percent at the free throw line. Corbin Pack averaged 7.4 points per contest last season, knocking down 50 threes on 37 percent shooting. Lingo knocked down 14 triples on the season, going for 4.3 points per game. Miller appeared in all 31 games as the backup point guard during his freshman season. Aaron Hall appeared in 18 games, averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 boards per game on 54 percent shooting.

"With so many new players, along with returners with little or no experience, finding a rotation has been difficult and incomplete at this point," Good says. "Obviously Kendall will be a big part of what we do. He has been great in the preseason both on the court and as a leader."

The Bulldogs will jump into conference play next week, traveling to Coker for a 7:30 p.m. game. Wingate's home opener is set for Saturday, Nov. 23 against Tusculum, followed by a trip to Lenoir-Rhyne.

"Our goal, as always, is to improve each day while getting closer as a team," Good says. "If our guys embrace that I believe we will be the team we aspire to be. With the improvement of the SAC and a 24-game conference schedule, it is really a gauntlet that we have to face. But I think our team will be up for the challenge."

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five 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, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 26 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 16 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.