Rock Hill, S.C.----For the 18th consecutive year, Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award, league officials announced Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs piled up 1,860.5 points, finishing 326.5 points ahead of second-place Catawba.

"Winning the Echols Cup for the 18th consecutive year is a reflection of the consistency, culture, and commitment that defines Wingate athletics," Director of Athletics Joe Reich says. "This achievement belongs to our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and supporters who continue to pursue excellence every single day. Sustained success at this level is rare, and we are incredibly proud of what it says about the standard of Wingate University athletics."

The Echols Athletic Excellence Award is presented annually to the member athletic department that earns the highest point total based on cumulative final standings in each of the Conference's 23 sports. Regular season finish is used in the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, football, field hockey, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's lacrosse, baseball and softball, while SAC Championship results are used for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field.

The Bulldogs collected 15 SAC titles in 2025-26, adding four runner-up finishes to roll to another decisive victory. The Bulldogs have 18 Excellence Cups all-time. Wingate's 18-year run is now the longest in league history by 10 years, eclipsing Elon's eight-year run from 1990-1997. The Bulldogs have won 18 Excellence Cups, while the other current 11 SAC schools have combined to win five. Wingate, Carson-Newman and Catawba are the only three SAC schools to win an Excellence Cup this century. This year's margin of 326.5 is the fourth-largest margin of victory in the history of the award, with only Wingate's last three titles seeing higher margins.

The 'Dogs got off to a quick start in the fall, with volleyball capturing the SAC regular season and tourney titles, adding a region championship. The volleyball squad has won 19 of the last 20 regular season SAC titles, adding 15 tourney championships in that span. Both cross country squads picked up SAC titles, and both went on to win region championships. Both teams have won five straight SAC titles. The Wingate men won the national title for the second time in three years, while the Bulldog women finished third in the nation, the highest finish in program history. The WU football team finished second in the regular season standings, while the field hockey team added a fourth-place finish.

Wingate won titles in four of the six winter sports. Both swimming teams picked up their fourth straight SAC championships. Wingate's indoor track & field teams also won both titles. Both squads have now won three straight indoor championships. The Wingate men would go on to finish third at the NCAA Indoor national championships, the highest finish in program history.

The spring season saw both lacrosse teams go undefeated in league play, with the women capturing their fifth straight regular season title and adding a second tournament championship. The Wingate men knocked off four teams ranked in the top 11 nationally to capture the regular season title. Both track & field squads won their third straight SAC outdoor championships this spring. Both Wingate golf teams also took home the SAC titles at their tournaments. The women added a region title. The Bulldog baseball team and men's tennis teams finished second in the regular season, while the men's tennis squad was third. The baseball team is in the SAC championship series this weekend.

In addition to the conference dominance, Wingate enters the spring ranked third in the NCAA Division II Learfield Directors' Cup standings, after finishing second in 2025. The Bulldogs also picked up three Conference Carolinas trophies. The flag football team won the CC regular season and tourney titles in its inaugural season, while the Bulldog acro & tumbling team went undefeated in the regular season to capture the Conference Carolinas championship.


2025-26 SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award Final Standings
 

Rank	School	Points
1	Wingate	1860.5
2	Catawba	1534
3	Lenoir-Rhyne	1512
4	Anderson	1402.5
5	Carson-Newman	1186.83
6	Lincoln Memorial	1173.33
7	Newberry	902.83
8	Tusculum	884.5
9	Coker	708
10	UVA Wise	687.5
11	Mars Hill	652
12	Emory & Henry	547

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, 9 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.
 
OneDog, #OneDog, One Day One Dog and Lab of Difference-Making are registered trademarks of Wingate University.