Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University senior Natalia Dwojak (Lublin, Poland) is the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Women's Swimmer of the Year, SAC officials announce from corporate headquarters. Dwojak has won back-to-back SOTY awards. Alumna Lucie Andrews (London, England) won the 2024 trophy, giving the Bulldogs the last three recipients.
 
Dwojak won four first team All-American awards at the NCAA championship meet in Evansville, Indiana earlier this month. Individually, she placed second in the 100 Breaststroke with her time of 1:01.14. Dwojak claimed first team AA honors in three relay races.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate head women's swimming coach Kevin Hennessy
 
"We are very excited to see Natalia named Swimmer of the Year for the second straight year. What a great way to cap off her senior year…having a runner-up finish at nationals and winning another SAC championship, she has always competed at the top level. Natalia is someone who has worked hard in the pool and in the classroom her entire time at Wingate. We are very happy to see her recognized. I'm proud of all that she has done in her time at Wingate and look forward to seeing where life takes her after graduation."
 
Relay queen at NCAA Championships
 
Dwojak played a big role in three first team All-American relay swims. Wingate finished third in the 400 Medley Relay with a time of 3:38.97. The Bulldogs were fifth in the 200 Medley Relay with a new school-record time of 1:39.39. Wingate took eighth place in the meet-concluding 400 Freestyle Relay as well.
 
SAC meet recap
 
At the South Atlantic Conference championships, Dwojak received six first team All-SAC awards. She won the 100 Breaststroke and finished sixth in the 200 Breaststroke. Dwojak's complete South Atlantic Conference recap:
 
Individual
100 Breast, first place (1:01.89)
50 Freestyle, second place (23.26)
100 Freestyle, second place (50.66)
200 Breaststroke, sixth place (2:20.64)
 
Relays
200 Medley Relay, first place (1:41.20, SAC meet record)
400 Medley Relay, first place (3:41.84, SAC meet record)
400 Freestyle Relay, second place (3:24.02)
 
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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