Greenville, S.C.----Wingate University freshman Top and Tumbler Abby Heney picked up a major honor Thursday afternoon, being named the Conference Carolinas Acro & Tumbling Freshman of the Month. Heney is the first Bulldog to earn Conference of the Month accolades.

Heney has had an impressive start to her collegiate career, helping the Bulldogs get off to a 4-2 start in the second season in program history.

Heney has been a major contributor to Wingate's success so far this season. Heney competes in 13 heats across all six events for the Bulldogs and serves as a key player in each. Her performance in her first month of competition is highlighted by a pair of 9.75/10 scores in the Open Pyramid, a 9.65/10 in the Compulsory Pyramid, a 9.25/9.7 in the Inversion Pyramid, and a 9.45/10 in the 7-Element Acro. Other impressive scores include a 9.25/9.8 in the 5-Element Acro, an 8.5/9.0 in the 450 Salto Toss, and an 82.8/95.35 in the Team Event.

Heney has made an immediate impact on Wingate's performance. So far this season, the freshman has set a new program record in seven different heats, even going on to surpass her own records multiple meets in a row in the Compulsory Acro, 7-Element Acro, Open Pyramid, and Quad Tumbling heats. She adds substantial difficulty, resulting in higher start values throughout all six events, especially the Acro and Pyramid Events. This added difficulty, coupled with her impressive execution, has played an invaluable role in Wingate's performance this season, including their upsets against a pair of higher-ranked conference teams this month.

The Bulldogs return to action Friday, March 14, hosting Mars Hill at 6 p.m.