Wingate’s Molly Kerns featured in Sports Illustrated ”Faces in the Crowd”

New York, N.Y.--Wingate University senior middle blocker Molly Kerns (Bellefontaine, Ohio) is featured in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. Kerns can be found in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the magazine. Click here to see to the story.

The "Faces in the Crowd" feature can be found this week on page 25. The cover story honors the Southeastern Conference and a photo of the University of Tennessee's Antonio Wardlaw recovering a fumble in the Volunteers' 51-33 victory over the University of Georgia.

Kerns was recognized for her recent South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week honor (Sept. 25), when she led the Bulldogs to a 4-0 week (2-0 SAC). For the week ending Sept. 30, she hit .536 with 3.27 kills per game as Wingate gained sole possession of first place in the league standings.

"It's a pretty big deal to have a Wingate University student-athlete recognized in such a nationally prestigious publication," Wingate head coach Shelton Collier said. "Molly has received some nice awards in her career, but having her picture and an accompanying write-up in Sports Illustrated is a special, once-in-a-lifetime thing."

Kerns was one of two Bulldogs elected to the first team All-South Atlantic Conference squad for the 2005 season. She was listed in the top twenty in the nation for blocking.

Wingate (19-4 overall, 10-0 SAC) hosts USC Upstate tonight (Friday) in a non-conference encounter. The Bulldogs are the number five in the first NCAA Division II South Region rankings of the season, released this week from NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.

Eight teams, including automatic qualifiers from the South Atlantic Conference, Sunshine State Conference and Peach Belt Conference, will make the NCAA Division II playoffs. NCAA selection date is Sunday, Nov. 5.

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution offering students active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, faith nurturing, career development, community service and study abroad.

Wingate offers more than 37 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs and graduate degrees in business, education, physical education and sport administration. In the spring of 2007, Wingate University will award its first-ever doctor of pharmacy degrees. Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports.