Greenville, S.C.----Wingate University sophomore Abigayle Heney has been named the Conference Carolinas Acrobatics & Tumbling Athlete of the Week, league officials announced Tuesday afternoon. Heney earns Athlete of the Week accolades for the first time in her career. She was named the league's Freshman of the Month during the 2025 season. Heney earned first team All-Conference honors last year, while also being named the league's Freshman of the Year.

Heney led the Bulldogs to a historic victory in the season opener, as Wingate went on the road and knocked off #14 Lander in dramatic fashion. The Bulldogs posted a program-record score of 252.365 on the night, while knocking off the preseason conference favorites for their first-ever victory over a ranked team.

Abigayle Heney was instrumental in the upset. She competed in seven heats plus the team event for Wingate, with her performance highlighted by a 9.80/10.00 in the Compulsory Pyramid, a 9.70/10.00 in the 7-Element Acro, and a 9.20/9.60 in the Open Toss heats. Her performance also helped Wingate set new program records in the Compulsory Pyramid, 7-Element Acro, Inversion Pyramid, and Open Toss heats before earning the program's first-ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent.

The Bulldogs are back in action Sunday, traveling to Coker to face the Cobras and Converse at 2 p.m.

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 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.