Greenville, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs have been picked to finish fourth in the preseason Conference Carolinas Acrobatics & Tumbling poll, which was released Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs had three student-athletes earn named Conference Carolinas Players to Watch - Abigayle Heney, Brooke Spurway and Emeri Echols.

Lander is the preseason favorite, picking up five of the 10 first-place votes. Coker is second, followed by Mars Hill. Wingate is fourth, collecting a pair of first-place votes. Montevallo and Converse are fifth and sixth, with Belmont Abbey, Francis Marion, King and Newberry rounding out the poll.

The Bulldogs went 5-4 in their second season of the program in 2025. The 'Dogs posted a program-best score of 245.630 in the win at Montevallo in March, while breaking that record in their next meet at Converse, posting a score of 248.78.

Heney was named the 2025 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, while also earning first team all-conference accolades. Out of the 12 heats in which she competes, Heney set new program high scores in 11 of them, while going on to break her own records multiple times throughout the season.

Spurway was also a first team all-conference honoree in 2025. She earned Conference Freshman of the Month honors last year, while also being named a NCATA National Freshman of the Week. Spurway competes in 10 heats plus the team event as a base, tumbler, and midlayer. Her performance last season was highlighted by an impressive 9.3/9.55 in the Open Tumbling heat, a 9.6/9.9 in the Synchronized Pyramid and a 9.75 in the Compulsory Toss.

Echols is also a Player to Watch. The freshman is in her first season at Wingate. She is a Top/Tumbler from Rex, Georgia.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 9 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.