Even after all these years, finishing atop the South Atlantic Conference still gives Steve Poston chills. Last May, Poston, University vice president and director of athletics, was able to boast of a 12th consecutive Echols Athletic Excellence Award, given annually to the top overall athletics program in the SAC.

“Winning the Echols award is always a thrill, since it recognizes the overall excellence of Bulldog athletics,” says Poston, University vice president and director of athletics. “To win this award for 12 consecutive years is unimaginable. It never gets old!”

Wingate’s 12 all-time Echols triumphs compare with a combined five wins for the 10 current other schools in the league.

Wingate was incredibly balanced in the 2017-18 season, with all 20 SAC sports finishing in the top four of the league standings, picking up eight total SAC championships (four regular season, four tournament/meet) to go along with nine runner-up finishes.

In the nationwide overall-athletics-program competition, the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, Wingate placed eighth for the 2017-18 year, the second time the Bulldogs have finished in the top 10. Wingate placed sixth in 2014-15. The Cup standings are based on the finish of 15 men’s and women’s sports. The Bulldogs got points from 15 different sports, the most in school history and the maximum number of sports that can count toward the total.

This marks the fifth consecutive year the Bulldogs have finished in the top 30 nationally. Wingate finished 24th in 2013-14, which was the best in school history until the sixth-place finish in 2014-15. The Bulldogs finished 28th in 2015-16 and 12th in 2016-17.