Wingate University Athletics

Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University men’s cross country team is picked to finish fourth in the 2010 South Atlantic Conference race, according to a vote of the league’s 10 head coaches. The Bulldogs will host the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference meet on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Wingate University Cross Country facility.
 
Mars Hill College is the unanimous choice to capture the 2010 title. The Lions have won 13 consecutive South Atlantic Conference men’s cross country championships. Mars Hill received 10 first-place votes and 100 total points. 

Lenoir-Rhyne University is picked to finish second in 2010. First-year conference member Anderson University received 71 points and is picked to finish third. Wingate was neck-and-neck with the AU Trojans, posting 70 total points. The Bulldogs defeated the Trojans head-to-head in the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional meet at Wingate. The host Bulldogs were eighth with 241 points, while Anderson was 12th with 357 points. 

Wingate head coach Dr. Dennis Johnson is optimistic about the 2010 campaign, as the Bulldogs welcomed a school-record 33 men’s and women’s runners to pre-season camp Thursday night. The Bulldogs open the 2010 season Sept. 17 at the Coastal Carolina University Invitational in Conway, S.C.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers 34 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past four years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 36 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 45 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.