With 14 consecutive Echols Awards and a couple of recent team national titles, Wingate is used to producing stellar athletic performances on the court, field and track. But the University may have outdone itself last fall.

Led by the men’s cross country team’s second-place finish in the national meet, six Bulldog teams placed in the top 25 of their national competitions during the fall semester. As a result, Wingate finished the season in second place in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, a national ranking of overall athletic excellence. It is Wingate’s highest placement ever.

Cross country: Men 2nd in nation

Led by four All-American runners, Wingate’s men had the best showing ever for a team from the Southeast Region. Sophomore Scott Nutter led the way, finishing 22nd with a 10K time of 30:16.1. In the process, he broke his school-record time by almost 25 seconds.

Junior Cas Kopmels and graduate students Oliver Way and Pierre Galbourdin were also named to the All-American team.

The team took a one-step-at-a-time approach on its way to a record-setting season.

“We have been process-oriented all season long, and today was no different,” head coach Pol Domenech said after the meet. “We have been practicing on executing correctly as opposed to focusing on outcomes, and we saw this today.”

Women’s cross country placed 23rd in the national meet, led by junior Mollie Scott’s 46th place finish. With a time of 21:28.1, Scott was the top finisher among South Atlantic Conference runners in the 6K meet.

Triathlon: Individual national champ; third-place team

Wingate placed third in the national championships, with junior Julia Kekkonen winning Wingate’s second individual national title in as many years. Kekkonen stayed with the front-runners through the swim and bike portions of the race before turning on the jets during the 5K run.

“Julia has always been very strong in the run portion,” says Wingate head coach Nick Radkewich. “After the first lap, she took the lead and never looked back.”

“I knew if I could get to the 5K run in the lead pack I had a chance,” says Kekkonen, a two-time first-team All-American. Finja Schierl won the national title as a Wingate freshman in 2021. She now competes professionally in her native Germany.

Jule Ressenberger, Carla Larrabeiti Jefferson and Pamela Hernandez Quevedo all joined Kekkonen as All-Americans. Triathlon is considered an “emerging sport” by the NCAA, and thus the Bulldogs’ third-place finish does not count in the Learfield standings.

In addition, the women’s team and three individuals earned national recognition for their academic achievements. The team earned College Triathlon Coaches Association (CTCA) Scholar All-American team status, while Hernandez Quevedo and Resselberger were named Division II Scholar All-Americans by the CTCA. Tamar Veltman was recognized with Scholar All-American honorable mention distinction.

Football: Quarterfinals for first time

Led by one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, Wingate reached the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history.

The Bulldogs handily dispatched a pair of higher-ranked teams – No. 14 Virginia Union (32-7) and No. 7 Benedict (23-6) – to reach the final eight, where the Bulldogs fell to West Florida.

Wingate finished the season 11-3, registering a program record for wins in a season. Five Bulldogs made the AP All-American team, led by first-teamers Ethan Evans (punter), Tre Morrison (defensive back) and Davon Gilmore (linebacker). DJ Horne (defensive back) and Evan Surgeon (offensive lineman) made the second team.

Wingate was a defensive powerhouse, finishing second in the nation in total defense and third in scoring defense.

Volleyball: Another Elite Eight appearance

Wingate made the Elite Eight for the sixth time in head coach Shelton Collier’s Hall of Fame career. In the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs lost a tight match, 3-2, to the eventual national champion, West Texas A&M.

Setter Shannon Kasprak, a graduate student back for a fifth year, returned on a mission, earning SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year honors, in addition to being named second-team All-American by AVCA and third-team All-American by D2CCA.

“Shannon was highly motivated to lead this team to each of the goals our team set,” Collier says. “As a setter and as a leader, she was able to bring out the best in her teammates, and as a result of being obsessed with team success, she earned so many prestigious individual awards along the way.”

Freshman Emily Johnson was named second-team All-American by D2CCA, while Molly Lambillotte was named third-team All-American by AVCA.

Soccer: Two NCAA tournament teams

The men’s team reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, falling 2-1 to Barry in the regional tournament after leading 1-0 at the half. It was the seventh NCAA tournament appearance in the past nine years for Wingate, which won the 2016 NCAA Division II title.

Wingate had beaten Converse and Lenoir-Rhyne to reach the round of 16.

Senior defender Owen Marshall recorded an impressive Triple Crown after the season, netting first-team All-American honors from the D2CCA and from the United Soccer Coaches while also being named Academic All-America by College Sports Communicators.

"Wingate University was exactly what I imagined it would be from the first day I stepped on campus in 2019,” Marshall says. “Athletically, the facilities are top level and the coaching is top notch. Academically, Wingate met all my expectations. The faculty has guided me and helped me every time I faced a difficult situation.” 

Women’s soccer also reached the NCAA Division II tournament this year, falling in the first round. The Bulldogs finished the season 11-5-4.