Wingate’s Mandi Chester Receives NCAA Woman’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship

Indianapolis, Ind.----Wingate University senior softball student-athlete Mandi Chester (Charlotte, N.C.) has been awarded an NCAA Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship, NCAA officials announced recently.

Chester is one of 13 student-athletes selected for the scholarships, which are worth $6,000 each. The awards go to graduating student-athletes who intend to pursue careers in athletics. Along with the 13 NCAA Ethnic Minority Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarships awarded, they are intended to help increase the pool of and opportunities for qualified minority and female candidates in intercollegiate athletics.

A two-time winner of the South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete Award for softball, Chester has a 3.67 GPA, majoring in Middle Grades Education. A two-time President's List honoree and five-time Dean's List member at Wingate, Chester is a fixture on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

In 2007, Chester hit .386 in 28 games for the Bulldogs. Chester tied for the team lead with five home runs and was third on the team charts with 28 RBI. Chester had a slugging percentage of .639 and an on-base percentage of .475. Chester was voted SAC POTW once this year.

In 2006, Chester was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA NCAA Division II All-America second team. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association tabbed Chester for this prestigious honor.

Chester is the first Louisville Slugger/NFCA NCAA Division II All-America in the school's 18-year fast-pitch softball history. She was one of a region-high six Wingate players on the 2006 Louisville Slugger/NFCA NCAA Division II All-South Atlantic Region teams.

A graduate of Independence High School, Chester had the best year of her three-year Wingate career in 2006. Her season batting average of .386 was 106 points higher than her 2005 season batting average. Chester set personal season-highs in batting average, at bats (166), runs (42), hits (64), doubles (12), home runs (14) and RBI (52) following the 2006 campaign.

In addition, she established personal season-bests in total bases (118), slugging percentage (.711), walks (17), on-base percentage (.439), put outs (305) and assists (28). In 2006, Chester made only two errors in 335 chances as she compiled a sterling .994 fielding percentage.

Chester was third on the 2006 Wingate team with 14 home runs and 52 RBI. She was one of three Bulldogs to break the single-season Wingate record for home runs in a season. Chester had 20 multiple hit games and 15 multiple RBI games in 2006.

In 2006, Chester was named to the All-South Atlantic Conference first team. She made the all-tournament team at both the regional and conference tournaments. A solid student, Chester was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III softball second team in 2006.

Wingate won the 2006 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament and earned a bid in the NCAA Division II play-offs, setting a school record for wins with 47 victories. The Bulldogs completed the 2006 season 47-11 overall.

For her Bulldog career, Chester posted a .333 batting average. Her career numbers also included 19 home runs, 110 RBI, 31 doubles, 98 runs scored and a .382 on-base percentage. She maintained a .995 fielding percentage as the four-year Wingate backstop, making only five errors in 925 total chances. Chester had a .303 career SAC batting average.

Chester's accomplishments are not limited to the playing field and the classroom. She donates her time at the Charlotte homeless shelter. In addition, Chester has participated in Operation Christmas Child every year since she was in middle school.

Chester is a catching and hitting coach for local recreational leagues. A volunteer tutor in her math classes, Chester is a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Wingate.

"Mandi leads by example," Wingate University head softball coach Michelle Caddigan said. "She is one of the hardest workers on our team, both on the field and in the classroom. The term student-athlete is very appropriate for her. Mandi is a model student-athlete."

The 2007-08 Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship winners are: Andrea Brandt, California State University, San Bernardino; Mandi Chester, Wingate University; Lesley Dickinson, James Madison University; Megan Dort, Ashland University; Kathryn Krtnick, University of Wisconsin, River Falls; Lacey Lavarias, University of Utah; Kristina Meissen, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse; Amanda Pezzullo, University of Missouri, Columbia; Claire Smith, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Laura Stanley, Duke University; Amarachi Ukabam, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Melissa Venturi, George Mason University; and Audrey Volstad, St. Olaf College.