Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University men's and women's indoor track and field teams are picked to finish first in the 2026 South Atlantic Conference championship meets, according to a preseason coaches' poll released this week. The 2026 SAC indoor championship meet will be held at the JDL Fast Track February 28 and March 1 in Winston-Salem.
 
The Wingate men had 10 first-place votes and 131 points to take the top spot. Carson-Newman was second with 110 points. Lenoir-Rhyne had 109 points and one first-place vote to take the third position, while fourth-ranked Catawba collected the last first-place vote.
 
The Bulldog women matched their male counterparts with 10 first-place votes and 131 points. The L-R Bears had one first-place vote and 111 points to take second in the women's poll. Catawba was third with the remaining first-place vote and 106 points.
 
Athletes to Watch                             
  
Nine Wingate Bulldogs were recognized as Athletes to Watch by the South Atlantic Conference.
 
Men's Athletes to Watch
Dre Davis
Mateo de Castro Navarro
Antonin Saint-Peyre
Dequan Thompson
 
Women's Athletes to Watch
Hayat Abdeselam
Abigail Bester
Kiara Bester
Sofi Diop
Amber Lawless

2025-26 Wingate indoor track and field schedule (schedule link)
 
Wingate opens the 2025-26 indoor campaign this weekend, participating in three meets. Twenty-seven distance runners travel to Boston University for one of the biggest meets of the season Saturday, while the Bulldogs will send two crews to two separate meets at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem Saturday and Sunday.
 
The 2025-26 schedule includes the potential for 10 competitions prior to the 2026 South Atlantic Conference indoor championships February 28 and March 1 at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. The Bulldogs will make eight visits (including the SAC meet) to the newly-refurbished JDL Fast Track this season.
 
Wingate will keep the roads warm between North Carolina and Massachusetts, as the 'Dogs have the potential for two trips to Boston University. The Bulldogs will also head south to the University of South Carolina and the Carolina Indoor Track and Field Complex for a late January meet. The NCAA Division II indoor national championship meet is circled on the calendar for March 13-14, 2026. The 2026 NCAA indoor event will be contested at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
 
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 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 17 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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