NEWS | Complete SAC Athlete of the Year release

Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University junior distance specialist Hamza Chahid (M'Rirt, Morocco) is the 2023-24 South Atlantic Conference Male Athlete of the Year, league officials announce this week. Chahid is the first Bulldog cross country/track and field student-athlete to earn this prestigious honor. The SAC Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards are selected by a vote of the league's athletic directors.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate head cross country coach and assistant T&F coach Pol Domenech
                                                                 
"We are thrilled to see Hamza win this award. For the athletic directors to recognize one of our own is special. Hamza has been not only been an integral part in our team successes on the track and course, but also a key part of our team culture. I am convinced that he would be the first one to share this award with his teammates, as it is because of them that he can produce the results he produces."
 
Looking back at Hamza Chahid's 2023-24 championship seasons
 
Cross Country: Chahid helped Wingate win the 2022 national championship, as the Bulldogs edged 2022 national titlist Colorado School of Mines 70-79 to take their first XC national crown on November 18. The Bulldogs had five All-American performances, led by Chahid and his fourth-place 10K time of 29:15.3. Wingate head coach Pol Domenech was the USTFCCCA national Coach of the Year award winner.

Indoor Track and Field: Chahid won his third career individual national championship, taking the gold medal in the 5000 meters with his personal-best and school-record time of 13:51.02. He collected two first team All-American honors, as he finished fourth in the 3000 meters. Wingate finished ninth in the indoor national championships.
 
Outdoor Track and Field: Chahid and the Bulldogs wrapped up a phenomenal year with a sixth-place showing in the outdoor national championships. He collected two All-American trophies, finishing third in the 5000 meters and 11th in the 10,000 meters. All total, nine Bulldogs received All-American laurels.
 
Wingate's SAC Athlete of the Year history
 
Chahid gives Wingate 13 SAC Athletes of the Year all-time, the most in league history. He is sixth Wingate male to take home the coveted trophy. Most recently, men's lacrosse All-American Willie Grieco earned the award in 2022.
 
Wingate's complete SAC AOTY list
- 2024: Hamza Chahid, cross country/track and field
- 2023: Shannon Kasprak, volleyball
- 2022: Willie Grieco, lacrosse
- 2015: Jade Montgomery, soccer
- 2014: Jade Montgomery, soccer
- 2013: Jade Montgomery, soccer
- 2011: Dodson McPherson, baseball
- 2011: Stormi Gale, volleyball
- 2008: Sean Barnette, basketball
- 2008: Anna Atkinson, basketball
- 2007: Sean Barnette, basketball
- 1995: Darren Hayes, baseball
- 1994: Tonya Roper, basketball
 
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.
 
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