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Kingsport, Tenn.----On a night befitting an event with four CSCAA top-10 programs, the Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams stand on top of the South Atlantic Conference championship meet leaderboards entering the final competition day at the Kingsport Aquatic Center.
 
The No. 8 Wingate women won two critical events to take a 1359.5-1319 lead over No. 10 Catawba entering Saturday's fourth and final day. Junior Vera Karlsson touched first in the 100 Backstroke (55.74), while senior Natalia Dwojak led a 1-2-3 showing for the Bulldogs in the 100 Breaststroke (1:01.89).
 
The No. 6 Bulldog men did not collect a gold medal Friday, but they remain comfortably ahead of the No. 10 Catawba Indians with 10 events remaining. Wingate has 1358 points, while Catawba has 1185 markers. Freshmen Filippo Tabladini, Nicolo Cariboni and Artur Vilela de Queiroz finished 2-3-4 in the 100 Breaststroke.
 
The 'Dogs return to the pool for day four preliminaries Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Finals on Saturday evening will start at 5 p.m. The '26 SAC meet is the fourth and final league swimming championship event. In '27, Wingate, Carson-Newman, Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill will join the Conference Carolinas as associate members for men's and women's swimming.

Wingate's Friday PM highlights
 
Event 17
Women's 500 Freestyle
 
Grace Wilson led a 5-6-7-8-9 finish for Wingate, thanks to her time of 5:06.27. Team captain Nina Azirovic and her classmate Giulianna Garcia finished less than a second behind Wilson.
 
Event 18
Men's 500 Freestyle
 
Fernando Dehaudt led five Bulldogs in the top nine, taking second place with his time of 4:24.93. WU newcomer Emil Heigre won the B final by four seconds over veteran teammate and photographer extraordinaire Giacomo Pietrini.
 
Event 19
Women's 100 Backstroke

Karlsson, Elizabete Paula Ozola and Nicol Bellardi finished 1-2-4 for Wingate, giving the Bulldogs 86 huge team points. Bellardi finished only 0.57 seconds away from giving WU the 1-2-3 clean podium sweep.
 
Event 20
Men's 100 Backstroke
 
Anton Witzell and team captain Ney Chagas Filho both lowered their Friday AM times to finish fourth (48.92) and fifth (49.22), respectively. A two-time Academic All-America performer, Chagas Filho holds the SAC meet record in the event with his February 9, 2023 time of 48.07.
 
Event 21
Women's 100 Breaststroke

Natalia Dwojak swam a triumphant time of 1:01.89 Friday night after posting the fastest Friday morning time at 1:01.82. Annika Luce and Mathilda Sandberg finished second (1:02.48) and third (1:03.07), respectively, to give Wingate 87 huge team points.
 
Event 22
Men's 100 Breaststroke
 
Tabladini, Cariboni and Vilela de Queiroz gave Bulldog fans a quick glimpse into a bright future in the Breaststroke. Tabladini finished only 0.56 seconds behind Catawba gold medalist Maks Minichowski.
 
Event 23
Women's 200 Butterfly
 
Garcia led a 2-3-4 finish for Wingate with her silver-medal time of 2:05.89. Garcia, Katherine Perdue and Jessica Widdowson all lowered their Friday AM times during the Friday night session.
 
Event 24
Men's 200 Butterfly
 
Andreas Carrascal earned the bronze medal, thanks to his Friday PM time of 1:49.14. Pietrini and team captain Mike Topchanalis finished fifth and eighth, respectively. Team captain Joel Thompson won the B final.
 
Event 25 and Event 26
Women's and Men's 200 Freestyle Relay
 
Wingate earned silver medals in the 200 Freestyle Relay for both women and men Friday night.
 
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.
 
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