NEWS | SAC women's track and field home page
NEWS | SAC men's track and field home page 

Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University women's and men's outdoor track and field teams are picked to finish first in the 2026 South Atlantic Conference championship meets, according to a preseason coaches' poll released today. The 2026 SAC outdoor championship meet will be hosted by Emory & Henry College April 29-30 in Emory, Virginia. 

The Wingate women collected 11 first-place votes and 132 points. Catawba was second with 111 points, while Tusculum snagged the final first-place vote and 106 points. The Bulldog men had 11 first-place votes and 132 points to take the top spot. Catawba was second with 110 points. Carson-Newman garnered the remaining first-place vote and 109 points to claim the third position.
 
The Bulldog outdoor track and field teams open their 2026 season today and tomorrow in the Charlotte 49er Classic. The next event on the Wingate agenda is the Raleigh Relays March 26-28. North Carolina State University hosts this annual event.
 
South Atlantic Conference Athletes to Watch
  
Ten Wingate Bulldogs were recognized as Athletes to Watch by the South Atlantic Conference.
 
Women's Athletes to Watch
Abigail Bester
Evie Brooks
Ally Holmberg
Amber Lawless
Natalie Pinzan
 
Men's Athletes to Watch
David Holman
Luca Poppe
Deon Sumpter
Dequan Thompson
Micah Walker
 
2026 Wingate indoor season quick recap
 
- Wingate sent a program-best 14 student-athletes to NCAAs March 13-14
- Senior Luca Poppe won national titles in the men's 5000 and 3000 meters
- Wingate men finished a program-best third, while the women tied for 38th
- WU earned first team AA honors in seven events at the '26 championships
- The USTFCCCA honored 42 WU student-athletes with All-Southeast Region laurels
- Both WU teams won SAC indoor titles for the fourth year in a row
 
2025 SAC outdoor championship fun facts
 
- Wingate won both SAC outdoor meets in 2025
- The WU women won nine events with 20 podium finishes
- The Bulldog men won six events with 15 podium performances
 
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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