Wingate, N.C.----Three new members will be added to the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies on Saturday morning, Oct. 19. In addition, the University will recognize the 1989 and 2003 softball teams as Teams of Distinction during the event. The Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies are sponsored by OrthoCarolina.
 
The Wingate Sports Hall of Fame class of 2013 includes baseball outfielder Frank Pait (North Wilkesboro, N.C., class of '85), football running back Tracy Bowen (Travelers Rest, S.C., class of '99) and soccer forward Ben Hill (Pensacola, Fla., class of '03). The WU Sports Hall of Fame includes 83 members.
 
"This is another outstanding slate of inductees for the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame," WU Athletic Foundation and Bulldog Club director Bill Nash says. "Through the good work of the Sports Hall of Fame committee, we are inducting three student-athletes who made important contributions to the legacy of Wingate athletics."
 
Frank Pait was a first team All-American outfielder his senior year for Wingate Sports Hall of Fame coach Dr. Ron Christopher. Pait hit .400 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI in 1985, receiving Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC) Player of the Year honors following his final season. Pait and his teammates won three CIAC and NAIA District 26 regular season titles (1982, 1983 and 1984) and two CIAC tournament crowns (1982 and 1983).
 
Pait spent three years as an assistant coach at Wingate (1994-96). During his tenure, Wingate compiled a 114-44 overall record with three South Atlantic Conference regular season and three tournament championships. In 1995, the Bulldogs compiled a program-best 46-10 overall record. Wingate was the number one team in the nation for one week during the 1995 season.
 
For 11 seasons, Pait served as the head baseball coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University. During his L-R career (1997-07), he was 291-239 overall with one SAC regular season title and two Food Lion SAC tourney crowns. Pait was the 2001 SAC Coach of the Year.
 
Pait is the founder of the baseball program at Catawba Valley Community College. In four seasons, he has compiled a 147-64 overall record with two regular season championships and one regional title. Pait took the CVCC Buccaneers to the 2012 NJCAA World Series for Division II junior colleges.
 
Pait earned a B.S. degree in Human Services at Wingate. He received an M.A. degree in Counselor Education from Lenoir-Rhyne. Pait and his wife Sheila have two sons: Tyler and Baylor. Sheila Foster Pait played tennis at Wingate.
 
For 12 years, Tracy Bowen was Wingate's all-time leading rusher with 2946 career yards. He holds the Wingate record for rushing yards in a game (282) for his performance at Benedict during the 1998 season. As a senior, he compiled 983 yards and 11 TDs.
 
In 1997, Bowen finished seventh in the Harlon Hill Award voting. The Harlon Hill Award goes to the top NCAA Division II football player. Bowen rushed for 1274 yards during the 1997 season, scoring 13 touchdowns in the process. 
 
Bowen received All-SAC honors two seasons. He graduated from Wingate with a B.S. degree in Business Finance. Currently, he serves as a Project Business Analyst for the Fluor Corporation in Greenville, S.C. Bowen has also worked with ITT Technical Institute, Wachovia and Citifinancial.
 
Ben Hill concluded his Wingate career by earning a spot on the NSCAA/NCAA Division II All-American second team in 2002. Hill was the SAC Player of the Year following his junior and senior seasons, helping the Bulldogs win 28 matches during this time frame. He was a member of Wingate's first NCAA men's soccer play-off team in 1999.
 
Hill tallied 56 goals and dished out 17 assists during his career. An All-Southeast Region first team selection his final two seasons, Hill led the SAC in scoring as a senior (20 goals, four assists) and as a junior (20 goals, two assists). Hill and his teammates won the SAC regular season title in 2001 and the Food Lion SAC tournament crown in 2002. He was named first team All-SAC both his junior and senior year.
 
His senior year, Hill received the J. Howard Williams Award for Male Athlete of the Year at Wingate. After his time with the Bulldogs, Hill spent three seasons with the Wilmington Hammerheads professional soccer club. In addition to his successes on the field, Hill helped the Hammerheads conduct soccer camps for children in the Cape Fear community.
 
Hill starts a new job August 29, as he will serve as a clinical product specialist for Mazor Surgical Technologies in Charleston, S.C. Previously, he spent two-plus years as a Distal Extremity Specialist for Southtech Orthopedics in Wilmington, N.C.
 
Prior to his time with Southtech, Hill worked four years as an Account Sales Executive for Apria Healthcare in Wilmington. Hill has three years experience in the fitness industry as well. Hill received a B.S. degree in Communication Studies (with a concentration in Public Relations) during Wingate's May 2003 Commencement Exercises.
 
The Wingate University athletic department will honor two award-winning softball teams as Teams of Distinction. The 1989 Bulldog softball team won the school's first-ever NAIA District 26 softball tournament championship in its final season of slow-pitch competition. Don Phillips was named district Coach of the Year.
 
Under the direction of SAC Coach of the Year Michelle Caddigan, the 2003 team earned a spot in the NCAA Division II softball play-offs for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs won 18 games in a row at one point, spanning the regular season and the conference tourney. The final contest in this streak was a 3-2 Food Lion SAC tournament championship game triumph over Carson-Newman.
 
"Our two Teams of Distinction made monumental accomplishments on and off the diamond," Nash says. "We believe it is very important to recognize their significant contributions to the Wingate Softball legacy."
 
The Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will begin on Saturday morning, Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m. in the LaVerne Banquet Hall. Tickets for the induction ceremonies brunch are $25 per person and $15 for children 12 and under. For more information about the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame, contact committee chairman Bill Nash at 704-233-8121 or via E-mail at bilnash@wingate.edu.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 6th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves nearly 2,700 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past seven years.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000's with 57 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 57 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 66 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
Wingate Sports Hall of Fame Members (by induction year)
 
2013: Tracy Bowen (football), Ben Hill (soccer), Frank Pait (baseball)
 
2012: Kendall Chaffin (football), Karyn Deese Hart (volleyball), Marc Tsitouris (baseball)
 
2011: Patrick Bartlett (men's tennis/basketball), Cindy Irvin Behe (softball), Mark Caudle (men's soccer), Mike Ragin (football), Dr. Jerry McGee (president)
 
2010: Cynthia Thomas Cooper (women's basketball), John Ellis (men's golf), Paul Talbot (men's basketball), Allen Thomas (baseball)
 
2009: Jeremy Byers (baseball), Kirk Calvert (men's soccer), Angela Curlew Lampley (softball), Andrea McCloud (men's basketball)
 
2008: Audley Bell (men's tennis), Bill Foster (basketball), Dr. Jerry Pierce (baseball), Dave Thomas (football)
 
2007: Jimmy Fortenberry (baseball), Jill Deardorff (tennis), Jerry Ratchford (football), Bill Walters (golf)
 
2006: Nolan "Obe" Leonard (baseball), Cindy Lowery James (basketball), Jeff Waisner (baseball)
 
2005: Tony Coble (baseball), James Gordon (football), Chip Lewis (golf)
 
2004: Chris Huntley (basketball), Danny Lampley (baseball), Kerrie Porter (softball)
 
2003: Sean Bakes (soccer), Harry Greene (baseball), Everette Pigg (basketball)
 
2002: Andrea Grissett (basketball), Ron Ladimir (soccer), Winston Parks (basketball), Charles Ray Williams (baseball/basketball)
 
2001: Vernon Buck (football), Darren Hayes (baseball)
 
1999: Johnny Jacumin (basketball coach), Alvin Morman (baseball)
 
1998: Ann Hancock (basketball), Wiley "Butch" Harris (baseball), Ron Smarr (tennis coach)
 
1997: Allen Johnson (baseball), Direne Thomas (basketball), Jimmy Sutton (football)
 
1996: Rick Motsinger (baseball), Jack Perry (baseball coach), Beverly Greenard Poston (basketball), Larry "Satch" Sedberry (baseball), Dr. Jerry Thomas (baseball/basketball)
 
1995: Julie Barbee (tennis), Cheryl "Sweet Pea" Barrineau (basketball), Darryl Barrino (baseball), Pam Elleby (basketball), Marshall Thaxton (basketball)
 
1994: Vann A. Chaney (lifetime coach), Steve Mastin (baseball), Jim Morris (baseball)
 
1993: Dianna Monroe (basketball), Jack Musten (baseball/basketball), Don Williams (football/baseball)
 
1990: Dr. Ron Christopher (baseball coach), H. Russell Turner (football)
 
1989: Michael "Mike" Martin (baseball), Robert "Bob" Nunnery (football)
 
1988: Bill Connell (AD/Coach), Herschel "Red" Edwards (multi-sport athlete), Thomas "Dude" Renfrow (football)
 
1987: Gary Laws (baseball), Danny Maples (golf), Danny Miller (basketball coach), Johnny Wike (football)
 
1986: Sonny Basinger (football), Darrell Floyd (basketball), Nield Gordon (basketball)
 
Wingate University Athletics
Teams of Distinction
 
2013
1989 softball team
2003 softball team
 
2012
Ron Smarr-era tennis teams
 
2011
No team(s) selected
 
2010
1994 men's soccer team
 
2009
1995 baseball team
1994-95 and 1995-96 women's tennis teams
 
2008
1995 volleyball team
 
2007
1987-88 women's basketball team
 
2006
1965 and 1981 baseball teams
 
2005
1958 Pine Bowl team