Men's Track & Field | 5/26/2016 5:48:00 PM

Bradenton, Fla.----Wingate University junior Nepolian Patel (Rocky Mount, N.C.) posted a time of 3:58.77 in the men's 1500 meters at the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday at the IMG Academy Stadium. Patel is the first WU distance runner to qualify for the NCAA national meet.
 
"Nepolian made a great decision putting himself in the top five on the first lap," Wingate distance coach Ashley Vaughn Glover says. "He did a good job of being patient as the pace of the race was executed in typical championship style and much slower from his usual race pace."
 
Wingate's MVP in both cross country and track this year, Patel won the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters at the South Atlantic Conference championship meet in April. On Thursday, Simon Fraser junior Marc-Antoine Rouleau (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada) had the fastest 1500 meter qualifying run, recording a time of 3:49.32. Patel was 20th in the star-studded field.
 
"Nepolian missed a few opportunities as the positions shifted, but this was a great learning experience," Glover says. "To go from being a good conference athlete to a national caliber athlete within the span of a year has set a huge precedence for the rest of the team. I can't wait to see what we can do moving forward."
 
On Friday, Wingate freshman jumper Vanisha Wilshire (Louisburg, N.C.) will compete in the women's triple jump at 4:45 p.m. EDT. Bulldog freshman Isaiah Kyle (Morristown, Tenn.) will participate in the men's high jump at 5:05 p.m. EDT. Wilshire and senior Olisa Obiefuna (Saugus, Mass.) will compete Saturday in the women's high jump and the men's triple jump, respectively.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 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 10 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 82 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 82 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 91 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.