WU Excellence Cup History
Rock Hill, S.C.----For the 16th straight year, the Wingate University Bulldogs have won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award, league officials announced Wednesday morning. The Bulldogs piled up 1,967.58 points, defeating second-place Lenoir-Rhyne by 357 points. The Bulldogs piled up 18 SAC championships in 2023-24.
"We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators," Director of Athletics
Joe Reich says. "Their hard work and commitment to excellence over the years continues to pay off."
The Echols Athletic Excellence Award is presented annually to the member athletic department that earns the highest point total based on cumulative final standings in each of the Conference's 23 sports. Regular season finish is used in the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, football, field hockey, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's lacrosse, baseball and softball, while SAC Championship results are used for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's indoor and outdoor track.
The Bulldogs have 16 Excellence Cups all-time. Wingate's 16-year run is now the longest in league history by eight years, eclipsing Elon's eight-year run from 1990-1997. The Bulldogs have won 16 Excellence Cups, while the other current 12 current SAC schools have combined to win five. Wingate, Carson-Newman and Catawba are the only three SAC schools to win an Excellence Cup this century. This year's margin of 357 points is just shy of the record for margin of victory, with the 'Dogs prevailing by 361 points last year.
The Bulldogs once again got off to a hot start in the fall, with both cross country teams rolling to SAC titles. They would go on to capture both region championships, with the men adding the national title and the women finishing eighth at nationals. The Bulldog volleyball team captured their 17th regular season SAC title in the last 18 years, then earned hosting duties at NCAA Regionals for the 10th time. The men's soccer team captured the regular season SAC title for the second straight year and 10th time in program history, while also earning regional hosting duties. The women's soccer team added a third-place finish, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wingate football team also finished third during SAC play.
The winter saw both swim teams roll to SAC titles for the second straight year. Both track and field teams also picked up the championships at the SAC Indoor meet. The men's basketball team won the regular season SAC title for the first time since 2007, while the women's team followed up a third-place finish in the regular season by winning the SAC Tournament title.
The spring saw both track & field teams pick up outdoor championships, while both tennis teams also rolled to regular season titles, going undefeated in league play. The Wingate men would add the SAC Tournament title, while the women have advanced to round three of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Bulldog softball team went 22-2 in league play to capture the regular season championship for the second straight year, earning regional hosting duties for the second straight year. The women's lacrosse team captured a share of the regular season SAC title, collecting a second consecutive championship. The Wingate baseball team finished third in the regular season, then reeled off six straight victories to claim the SAC Tournament title. The men's lacrosse team added a third-place showing, while the men's golf team followed up a fifth-place finish at the SAC championships by finishing fifth at regionals, earning a bid to the national championships for the first time in program history.
In the Echols Athletic Excellence Award formula, the champion will always receive 100 points and last place will receive 10 points if 10 or more schools sponsor that championship sport. In sports with less than 10 participants, the total number of points varies based on the number of sponsoring schools. The points earned for all other place finishes will vary based on the number of schools that sponsor that particular sport.
2023-24 SAC Excellence Cup Final Standings
| Rank |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Wingate |
1967.6 |
| 2 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
1610 |
| 3 |
Catawba |
1478.7 |
| 4 |
Anderson |
1328 |
| 5 |
Carson-Newman |
1320.8 |
| 6 |
Limestone |
1274.5 |
| 7 |
Lincoln Memorial |
1119.1 |
| 8 |
Tusculum |
1087.1 |
| 9 |
Newberry |
972.91 |
| 10 |
Coker |
712 |
| 11 |
Mars Hill |
589.5 |
| 12 |
Emory & Henry |
522.16 |
| 13 |
UVA Wise |
450 |
