Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University women's basketball alum Anna Atkinson Caparaso has earned another prestigious honor, being selected as a member of the 2025 South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame class. The five-person class was announced by the league office Wednesday morning. Atkinson was inducted into the Wingate University Hall of Fame in 2019.

"It is honor to be selected to the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame," Caparaso says. "My time at Wingate University was incredibly valuable both in my academic pursuits and athletic experiences. I am grateful for every moment spent there as it has significantly impacted my life. I loved being associated with the SAC as a student athlete. I met so many incredible peers as well as those in leadership and coaching roles. The commitment to excellence in academics and athletics, at both the university level and conference level, never wavered and made a lasting impact on my life."

One of the most decorated student-athletes in league history, Caparaso piled up the honors on the court and in the classroom during her incredible Wingate career. The two-time SAC Player of the Year was the three-time SAC Scholar-Athlete, while earning first team Academic All-America accolades in each of her final two seasons. She was named the SAC Athlete of the Year as a sophomore, while earning the prestigious SAC President's Award in each of her final two seasons, which goes to the top scholar-athlete in the entire conference. Caparaso was also an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.

Caparaso led the Bulldogs to a pair of regular season SAC titles and a SAC Tournament championship, while also guiding Wingate to a regional title. She piled up 1,494 points, 776 assists and 357 steals during her illustrious career. Caparaso ranks second in league history in career assists and steals. Her 281 assists during the 2007-08 season are still a single-season SAC record, while also notching a league-record 125 steals during that season.

After her incredible career at Wingate, Caparaso went to dental school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, earning her degree in 2014. She served as an associate dentist for eight years before starting her own practice in 2022, Anna A. Caparaso DDS Dentistry in Marion.

Caparaso and the other four inductees will be formally inducted into the SAC Hall of Fame this spring. The Hall of Fame banquet will take place as part of the league's spring meetings in Charlotte. The ceremony will be held May 29. The other four inductees joining Caparaso are Tusculum's Tommy Arnett, Catawba's Jim Baker and Mars Hill's Jonas Randolph. The SAC will also honor the recipient of the Conference's Distinguished Alumni Award, which will be awarded to Tusculum's Kyle Cavanaugh.

The 2025 South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame Banquet will take place as a part of the Conference's Spring Meetings in Charlotte, N.C. on May 29.  

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 29 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.