Rock Hill, S.C.----For the 17th consecutive year, the Wingate University Bulldogs have captured the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award. 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. The Bulldogs piled up 1953 points this year, finishing 368.5 points ahead of second-place Lenoir-Rhyne. The margin breaks Wingate's own record for largest margin, which the Bulldogs set in 2022-23. The 'Dogs piled up 16 SAC titles in the 2024-25 season.
"It's an honor to get to compete in the SAC, so many great schools and programs," Director of Athletics
Joe Reich says. "To win the Echols cup is a terrific culmination of so much hard work by our student-athletes, coaches and administrators. We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this family."
For Excellence Cup points, regular season finishes are 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 17 Excellence Cups all-time. Wingate's 17-year run is now the longest in league history by nine years, eclipsing Elon's eight-year run from 1990-1997. The Bulldogs have won 17 Excellence Cups, while the other current 12 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 368.5 points is a new record. The Bulldogs won by 361 points in 2022-23, which was the record. Wingate nearly equaled that last year, prevailing by 357 points.
Wingate got off to a hot start in the fall, capturing regular season SAC titles in volleyball, men's and women's cross country, women's soccer and football. The volleyball team added a SAC Tournament title and a region championship, while both cross country teams also captured regional titles. The football team won the Division title and won the SAC title game over Carson-Newman. The Bulldog field hockey team added a third-place finish.
The winter saw the Bulldogs pick up four more SAC titles. The men's swimming team won the title by 243 points, with the women prevailing by 115 points. Both track & field teams captured their third straight SAC Indoor titles. The women's basketball team added a third-place finish in the winter.
The spring saw the Bulldogs collect six more trophies. The softball team won their third straight regular season SAC title, with both track & field teams rolling to their third straight Outdoor championships. The women's lacrosse team also captured their third consecutive regular season SAC title, while the women's golf team won the SAC Tournament. The men's lacrosse team knocked off three straight top-15 teams to capture the tournament title.
In addition to the success in the conference, the Bulldogs are number two in the Learfield Director's Cup standings. The men's cross country team finished as the national runner-up, with the volleyball team making another trip to the national quarterfinals. The women's cross country squad added an eighth-place showing at nationals. The men's swimming team finished sixth at nationals, with men's track & field finishing seventh at Indoor nationals and the women's swimming team adding a 13
th-place showing. The men's lacrosse team advanced to the national quarterfinals, with the women's golf team currently playing in the national quarterfinals. The men's golf team advanced through regionals and will play in the national championships next week. The women's lacrosse team, softball team and both tennis teams also made appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Both track and field teams head to Colorado next week for the Outdoor national championships.
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.
Echols Excellence Cup 2024-25 Final Standings
| Rank |
School (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Wingate |
1953 |
| 2. |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
1584.5 |
| 3. |
Catawba |
1424.66 |
| 4. |
Anderson |
1364.16 |
| 5. |
Lincoln Memorial |
1254 |
| 6. |
Carson-Newman |
1243.83 |
| 7. |
Limestone |
1143 |
| 8. |
Newberry |
932 |
| 9. |
Coker |
824.83 |
| 10. |
Mars Hill |
783.33 |
| 11. |
Tusculum |
753.66 |
| 12. |
UVA Wise |
545.5 |
| 13. |
Emory & Henry |
539.5 |
