Wingate’s Gale and McPherson earn SAC Athlete of the Year honors

ROCK HILL, S.C. - A pair of Wingate University All-Americans have been named the 2010-11 South Atlantic Conference Male and Female Athletes of the Year following a vote of the league's Directors of Athletics, the conference office announced today.

Wingate senior middle blocker Stormi Gale, the league's first-ever first team volleyball All-American, was named Female Athlete of the Year. Wingate junior outfielder Dodson McPherson, the SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year, was named the Male Athlete of the Year.

Gale is the third Bulldog to earn the honor and the first Wingate volleyball player to ever earn the award. She is the first Bulldog to earn SAC female Athlete of the Year honors since Anna Atkinson won in 2008.

The most decorated player in the history of SAC volleyball, Gale adds this honor to an incredible list of achievements during her four years at Wingate. The four-time first team All-SAC selection earned All-Region honors in her final three seasons. She earned league Freshman of the Year honors in 2007 and honorable mention All-American accolades in 2008. Gale became the league's first-ever first team All-American in 2009, then became the first player to ever be named to an All-American team in consecutive years in 2010. Gale is only the second player in league history to earn Player of the Year honors in back-to-back years. She was the Region Player of the Year in 2009 and was named MVP of the Food Lion SAC tournament as a sophomore and a senior.

Gale led the Wingate volleyball team to unprecedented success in her four years. The Bulldogs went 64-0 in SAC contests during her career, winning the SAC regular season and tournament title all four years. She led Wingate to the nation's best winning percentage in 2007 and 2010, while Wingate finished third in 2008 and 2009. The Bulldogs won at least 30 matches every year, while dropping two matches each season. The 'Dogs went 131-8 in Gale's four years to post a .942 winning percentage, first on the NCAA Division II charts. Wingate went 113-4 during the regular season in Gale's career.

Gale led the Bulldogs to their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2008, with Wingate hosting the NCAA Southeast Regionals for the first time in school history. In 2009, Wingate became the first team in league history to earn an AVCA Top 25 ranking. The Bulldogs hosted the Regionals for the second consecutive year, advancing to the Sweet 16. Wingate hosted for a third consecutive year in 2010, becoming the first school in SAC history to win a regional title and advance to the Elite Eight. The 'Dogs also became the first SAC school to finish the year ranked in the AVCA top 25. The Bulldogs have six NCAA Tournament victories in Gale's four years, which is more than the rest of the league combined all-time.

Thanks to the efforts of Gale and her teammates, the Bulldogs posted a 31-2 overall record in 2010 as Wingate earned its fifth consecutive SAC regular season and tournament titles and a sixth straight appearance in the NCAA post-season. She led the league with a .365 hitting percentage, while ranking fourth with 3.21 kills per set. Gale was third in the league with 1.01 blocks per set. She finished second on the team with 297 digs, while leading the Bulldogs with 12 doubles-doubles in 2010.

Gale notched double-digit kills 20 times on the season and hit above .400 in 14 matches. Gale had 19 kills, 15 digs and a .459 hitting percentage in Wingate's 3-1 win over Tusculum. She had 19 kills, 20 digs and six blocks in the Food Lion SAC tournament win over Newberry. Gale had 15 kills and zero errors with 12 digs and four blocks at Newberry, hitting .517 for the match. She had 15 kills, 10 digs, five blocks and a .467 hitting percentage against Francis Marion.

Gale ranks in the top six in five different categories in Wingate's all-time record books. Her 3.54 career kills per set is an all-time record, while her 1,545 career kills rank second on the all-time list. She is third with 376 block assists, while also ranking third all-time in hitting percentage and sixth in aces. She notched 42 career double-doubles, along with a triple-double.

A high achiever in the classroom, Gale is a three-time Academic All-District III selection. This year, Gale was one of only three players in NCAA Division II to attain Academic All-America® honors, while also earning All-American accolades.

McPherson is the fourth Bulldog to earn Male Athlete of the Year honors and the first since men's basketball All-American Sean Barnette won in 2008. McPherson continues to pile up the awards in 2011. He was named the SAC Player of the Year and Southeast Region Player of the Year, while also earning first team honors in both areas. McPherson earned first team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), while earning second team honors from Daktronics.

One of eight finalists for the Tino Martinez Award for Division II National Player of the Year, McPherson finished fifth in the voting. He also earned Food Lion All-SAC tournament honors, NCCSIA All-State accolades. In addition, McPherson was named to the inaugural College Baseball Lineup Division II All-Star team.

McPherson's huge year helped lead the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the SAC regular season, as Wingate posted a 17-10 conference slate. McPherson played a large role in Wingate's regular season title in 2010, when the 'Dogs went 19-5 in the league. The 36 league wins in two years are the most in school history in a two-year span. McPherson had two homers and five RBI in the 2011 Food Lion SAC Tournament, helping the Bulldogs claim their first tournament title since 1998. The tourney title also put Wingate in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

McPherson led the South Atlantic Conference in hits (92), runs (65), homers (17), RBI (78), triples (five) and slugging percentage (.748). He finished second in the league in batting average (.400), total bases (167) and on-base percentage (.466). He ranked in the top 10 nationally in hits (third), RBI (second), total bases (fourth), homers (fifth), runs (eighth) and slugging percentage (10th).

The Graham High School product led the team with 29 multi-hit games and 19 multi-RBI games. He reached base safely in 50 consecutive games and 55 of 56 in the 2011 season. McPherson had two hitting streaks of at least 14 games in the 2011 season. He either scored a run or drove in a run in 50 games on the year.

McPherson's 78 RBI in 2011 ranks sixth on the league's all-time single season charts, while his 167 total bases rank ninth. His 92 hits were just outside the top 10 in league history. Of McPherson's 17 homers this season, 15 came during Wingate wins, while 67 of his 78 RBI also came during Wingate victories. Five of his homers were grand slams, which tied an NCAA record for a season. Four of his first six homers in the 2011 season were grand slams. He had seven two-run homers and three of the three-run variety, while hitting only two solo homers on the year.

McPherson hit for the cycle in Wingate's win at Anderson (S.C.). He had an inside-the-park homer and grand slam in the regular season finale against Brevard, driving in six runs. McPherson blasted a game-tying grand slam against Newberry, helping Wingate rally for a 7-6 victory. His three-run homer in the final inning at LMU gave the Bulldogs a two-run victory.
McPherson has impressive career numbers as he prepares for his final season at Wingate. He has 200 hits, hitting .375 in his career with 24 homers, 148 RBI, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 135 runs and 326 total bases. He is on pace to crack the top 10 in SAC history in nearly every statistical category.

SAC Athlete of the Year (Male; Female)

2010-11: Dodson McPherson, Baseball, Wingate; Stormi Gale, Volleyball, Wingate
2009-10: Kyle Moore, Basketball, Tusculum; Jasmine Gunn, Basketball, Tusculum
2008-09: Corey Russell, Football, Tusculum; Melissa Powers, Volleyball, Catawba
2007-08: Sean Barnette, Basketball, Wingate; Anna Atkinson, Basketball, Wingate
2006-07: Sean Barnette, Basketball, Wingate; Rebecca Angus, Soccer, Carson-Newman
2005-06: Walt Baxley, Basketball, Mars Hill; Paige Haverty, Golf, Catawba
2004-05: Roman Davis, Basketball, Lenoir-Rhyne; Rebecca Angus, Soccer, Carson-Newman
2003-04: Ricardo Colclough, Football, Tusculum; Lesley Murray, Tennis, Tusculum
2002-03: Guy O'Connell, Baseball, Tusculum; Marci Mitchell, Softball, Carson-Newman
2001-02: Todd Cunningham, Football, Presbyterian; Denise Shelton, Basketball, Mars Hill
2000-01: Daniel Willis, Men's Basketball, Lenoir-Rhyne; Rachel Sloan, Basketball, Presbyterian
1999-00: Brandon Hughes, Basketball, Newberry; Traci Hyman, Softball, Lenoir-Rhyne
1998-99: Marvin Moore, Basketball, Catawba; Rachel Sloan, Basketball, Presbyterian
1997-98: Clay Hall, Baseball, Presbyterian; Kimberly Hampton, Tennis, Presbyterian
1996-97: Mike Clowney, Football, Carson-Newman; Elizabeth Roe, Soccer, Presbyterian
1995-96: Danny Colangelo, Tennis, Elon; Heather Randolph, Softball, Carson-Newman
1994-95: Darren Hayes, Baseball, Wingate; Heather Randolph, Softball, Carson-Newman
1993-94: Cedric Mansell, Basketball, Mars Hill; Tonya Roper, Basketball, Wingate
1992-93: Peter Lindstrom, Tennis, Elon; Amy Peters, Volleyball/Basketball, Catawba