NEWS | SAC men's track and field home page
NEWS | SAC women's track and field home page
 
Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University men's and women's outdoor track and field teams are picked to finish first in the 2024 South Atlantic Conference championship meets, according to a preseason coaches' poll released today. The 2024 SAC outdoor championship meet will be hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne University May 1-2 in Hickory, North Carolina.
 
The Wingate men had 11 first-place votes and 143 points to take the top spot. Lenoir-Rhyne was second with the remaining two first-place votes and 134 points. Tusculum was third with 112 points. The Bulldog women collected 10 first-place votes and 142 points. The L-R Bears snagged three first-place votes and 134 points. Carson-Newman was third with 120 points.
 
The Bulldog outdoor track and field teams opened their 2024 season last weekend in the Charlotte 49er Classic. The next event on the Wingate agenda is the Raleigh Relays March 29-30. North Carolina State University hosts this annual event.
 
South Atlantic Conference Athletes to Watch
  
Six Wingate Bulldogs were recognized as Athletes to Watch by the South Atlantic Conference.
 
Men's Athletes to Watch
Hamza Chahid (junior, M'Rirt, Morocco)
Mateo de Castro Navarro (freshman, Valladolid, Spain)
Dequan Thompson (sophomore, Palmyra, Va.)

Women's Athletes to Watch
Olivia Cosby (freshman, Fortson, Ga.)
Valerie Daehler (senior, Rockford, Ill.)
Naiobi White (junior, Columbia, S.C.)

What They Are Saying
Wingate senior student-athlete Valerie Daehler
 
"I'm really looking forward to the outdoor season, along with my teammates. Indoor went exceptionally well, but it was just a glimpse of what to expect outdoors. I've seen all the work my teammates and I have put in, so I know some great things are going to happen in the coming weeks. Our team is very talented and I'm super excited to see what we do as a combined group." 

Wingate sophomore student-athlete Dequan Thompson
  
"I believe our team most importantly is ready like never before for this outdoor season as we had an amazing indoor season leading up to it. Our training has been more focused on propelling us to that next level and kind of separating us from the rest. As we all know, outdoor is when the track scene gets real. I feel as if we are built for it as even our freshmen have that edge to be able to fight through anything that may come in their way. At the end of the day, I personally feel like the only thing that can stop us is ourselves, because we have been built from ground zero by our coaches and even ourselves throughout the past months."
 
"On my side of things, I couldn't be more excited to even be in the position I am in to share my thoughts, but more importantly, give outsiders a different view of our team and express my confidence in my peers and myself. I truly believe that indoor was simply a prelude for what's really about to go do down as there was a lot of new things in my life that I had to adjust to in a positive way that I now feel like I can handle in a proper way and excel even more."
 
"My hopes for the outdoor season are simply just to go out there every chance I get and execute my jumps to the best of my ability and be the best supporter for our team regardless of if it is a regular season meet or championship season. I will also be pushing to qualify for the World U20 championships and represent the USA. Last year, I was only four inches shy of qualifying. With my training, it's most definitely in my reach."
 
"In addition to my dreams to represent my country, I am also striving to get the SAC title and even bigger, the NCAA title. I know I still have areas where I need to improve, but I believe that my dedication and persistence combined with my coaches' training and vision for me will get me to where I want to be and even farther!"
 
"I saw a Jim Watkins' quote on Instagram this week … which inspired me … 'a river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.'"
 
Wingate indoor season quick recap
 
- Wingate sent a program-best eight student-athletes to NCAAs March 8-9
- Junior Hamza Chahid win the national championship in the men's 5000 meters
- Chahid has three indoor national championships (3000, DMR, 5000)
- Five 'Dogs earned All-American honors at the '24 NCAA event
- First team AA: Chahid (5000, 3000), Soheil Boufrizi (3000), Titouan Le Grix (mile)
- Second team AA: Ricardo Barbosa (3000), Valerie Daehler (high jump)
- The USTFCCCA honored 29 WU student-athletes with All-Southeast Region laurels
- Last month, both WU teams won SAC indoor titles for the second year in a row
 
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 15 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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