Academic All-America® honorees

Austin, Texas----Wingate University tennis standout Florian Walcher has collected another impressive honor, earning third team Academic All-America® accolades from the College Sports Communicators (CSC). Walcher is an Academic All-America® selection for the first time in his career.

Walcher gives Wingate 158 Academic All-America® honorees all-time, with 149 since 2000. The Bulldogs lead all schools in North Carolina in Academic All-America® selections this millennium, while ranking second in NCAA Division II. Wingate is the SAC's all-time leader in Academic All-America® honorees.

Walcher gives Wingate tennis 18 Academic All-America® honorees all-time. He is the first men's tennis player to earn the honor since Roy Stepanov picked up second team accolades in the 2021. Daniel Belsito was a two-time honoree in 2018 and 2020 for the Bulldogs, hauling in first team honors in 2020. WU Hall of Fame member Patrick Bartlett was the first-ever men's tennis player to collect Academic All-America® recognition in 1998, while also earning the honors in 199 and 2000.

Walcher is a four-time All-SAC honoree, collecting first team accolades three times. He has also earned All-SAC doubles honors twice in his career, earning second team accolades as a sophomore. Walcher was named the SAC Freshman of the Year and ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year in 2022. He was named the 2025 SAC Scholar-Athlete earlier this summer.

Walcher piled up 14 wins as a freshman, while going 17-2 during his sophomore season and 18-2 as a junior. He capped his career by going 9-3 during his senior season in singles play to go 76-19 overall while also posting a 71-24 career doubles record. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of regular season SAC titles and two SAC Tournament championships. Wingate went 69-21 during his four-year career, with a 44-4 record in league play.

Walcher has a 3.922 GPA at Wingate, majoring in Exercise Science and Psychology. A member of the university Honors program, Walcher has made the WU President's List five times, while also earning Dean's List honors. A member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll every year of his career, Wacher is a two-time ITA Scholar All-American.

Walcher has also gotten it done around Wingate and the community. He has served as a peer tutor at Wingate, while also serving as a tennis coach in Austria since the summer of 2021, coaching kids and adults while also running kids' camps. He has volunteered through Hilfswerk company, working with children and senior citizens. Walcher has served with United Way Day of Caring and OneDay OneDog, volunteering at Wingate Baptist Church. He has also volunteered at Sports Therapy Center in Austria and Bank of America for Panthers games and Charlotte FC contests. A member of the Wingate Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Walcher served on a WU Board of Trustees Panel discussion.

College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® program

The College Sports Communicators (CSC) began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, have recognized thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.
 
Currently, the CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's and women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the at-large program.

The Academic All-America® program is comprised of divisional teams for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Added for the 2018-19 academic year was a separate at-large program for two-year schools and Canadian institutions. Members at two-year schools, Canadian institutions and any other institution not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA nominate their student-athletes in all sports during the spring nomination period.

For more information about the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® teams program, please visit AcademicAllAmerica.com or the Academic All-America® home page on CoSIDA.com.

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 17 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.