Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University junior Nate Mueller (Adel, Iowa) is this week's South Atlantic Conference WePlayed Sports Cross Country Runner of the Week, league officials announce from corporate headquarters. Mueller receives this distinction for the first time in his #WUXC career.

The No. 1 Wingate men's cross country team finished third in the University of Virginia's Panorama Farms Invitational Friday. Mueller led the defending NCAA Division II national champions, finishing seventh with a season-best 8K time of 24:41.5. The Atlantic Coast Conference-member UVA Cavaliers hosted this event.

The Bulldogs were the only non-Division I squad in the 15-team field. Wingate posted 75 points, outdistancing fourth-place Norfolk State by 37 markers. The Bulldogs defeated 11 NCAA Division I schools, including Charlotte, UNC Asheville and Marquette, among others. Virginia Tech won the meet with 31 points, followed by host Virginia with 51 points.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate head cross country coach Pol Domenech
 
"We are so proud of Nate. As a newcomer to the program, he has done everything necessary to learn our system, embrace our philosophy and buy into what we are building. This result is a great sign that he is moving in the right direction…but I can't help feeling that the best is still yet to come as we head into championship season. We are excited to see what's ahead!"
 
On the horizon for the No. 1 Bulldogs
 
Wingate hosts the postseason South Atlantic Conference meet Saturday, November 7 at the WU Cross Country Facility. Converse hosts the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championships on Saturday, November 21 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The 2026 NCAA Division II national championship meet is Friday, December 4 in Lawrence, Kansas.
 
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, 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 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 18 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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