Wingate's Collier Voted as National Coach of the Year

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Wingate University head volleyball coach Shelton Collier has been named the AVCA National Coach of the Year, officials announced Thursday. Collier earns the prestigious honor for the first time in his career. The seven-time SAC Coach of the Year guided the 12th-ranked Bulldogs to a 32-3 record in 2013, leading Wingate to its second straight regional title and third in four years.

"I am thrilled that Coach Collier is receiving this national recognition that he so richly deserves," Wingate University Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Poston says. "He has established himself as one of the premiere volleyball coaches in the country. His players perform well on the court, in the classroom and throughout the community. All of us in the Wingate University athletic family congratulate Coach Collier on this noteworthy honor."

Collier has guided the Bulldogs to unparalleled success over the past seven years, earning SAC Coach of the Year every season in the process. He has also been named the AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year four times, winning in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013. Collier's seven league Coach of the Year awards are most in league history. No other coach has more than four and no other coach in league history has won the award more than three consecutive seasons.

"Receiving recognition from coaching peers is very special and to receive a prestigious award such as this is overwhelming," Collier says. "I have coached many years at several different levels, and this is without question the most meaningful award I have ever received. Our team achieving some new and exciting things at the national level this year certainly was a key factor in me being considered, so I am appreciative of our players for elevating their level of play and accomplishing so much as a team this year. I am so thankful for our President Dr. Jerry McGee and (Vice-President and AD) Steve Poston, who have provided the support and encouragement to put our program in a position where we have an opportunity to be recognized for our success. This is a huge honor and I share it with everyone associated with our Wingate athletic program."

Collier recently finished his 12th season at Wingate. He is 337-61 in his Bulldog career, good for a winning percentage of .847. Collier spent nine years at the University of Pittsburgh, winning 296 matches. He registered 271 victories in 11 years at Georgia Tech. Collier has compiled 904 victories in his 32-year coaching career. He won his 900th match in this year's 3-0 SAC Tournament semifinal win against Queens. Collier has a career winning percentage of .772.

Collier ranks seventh among all current coaches in the NCAA in career wins. He is behind three Division I coaches, one coach from Division III and only eight wins behind Tampa's Chris Catanach in Division II. Collier's 337 victories at Wingate have him ranked second on the league's all-time win list, trailing only Catawba's Ginger Hamric who just finished her 24th season at Catawba. Collier is also second in all-time with 166 career SAC wins, only 29 victories behind Hamric.

Wingate has dominated conference competition over the past seven seasons as Collier has put the Bulldogs on the national map. Wingate has won 120 of its last 122 league matches, while winning 155 of its last 158 contests against SAC opponents. The Bulldogs have won eight straight regular season SAC titles and eight consecutive SAC Tournament championships. Wingate has won 20 conference titles all-time (10 regular season, 10 tournament). The other 11 current SAC schools have combined to win 13 championships. After having a league-record 83-match SAC winning streak snapped in 2012, the 'Dogs have reeled off 37 consecutive conference wins. Wingate has gone undefeated in SAC play in six of the past seven seasons.

Wingate earned its league-record ninth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2013. The Bulldogs have hosted the NCAA regionals five of the past six years, while reaching the regional title match each of the past five seasons. Wingate became the first-ever SAC school to win a regional title in 2010. The Bulldogs returned to the Elite Eight after winning another regional title in 2012, while reaching the national quarterfinals once again in 2013.

Wingate is the only team in SAC volleyball history to earn an AVCA top 25 ranking. The Bulldogs first entered the poll during the 2009 season. Wingate was ranked in every poll during the 2013 season, cracking the top 10 for the first time in the history of SAC volleyball. Wingate was ranked ninth for four weeks in 2013, while ranking 12th in the final poll, the highest end-of-season ranking in program history. The Bulldogs have been included in 39 AVCA top 25 polls since 2009. Wingate is 227-15 since the start of the 2007 season, leading the nation with a .938 winning percentage. The Bulldogs led the nation in winning percentage in 2007, 2010 and 2011, ranking third in 2008 and 2009, fourth in 2012 and seventh in 2013. Wingate opened the 2013 season by knocking off a pair of top-11 teams, the two highest ranked teams the Bulldogs have ever defeated.

Collier has also helped Wingate individuals earn recognition on a national level. In the history of SAC volleyball there have only been seven players named to an AVCA All-American team. Six of those have been Wingate players, all within the past five years. It started in 2009 when Stormi Gale earned third team All-American honors, while repeating as a third team All-American in 2010. Liz Willis was a third team AVCA All-American in 2011, while Anna Hilton earned third team accolades in 2012. In 2013, Hilton became the first player in league history to be named an AVCA first team All-American, while Lexi Potter is the first SAC volleyball player to ever earn AVCA second team All-American accolades. In addition, Gale was a Daktronics first team All-American in 2009, while Willis earned second team honors from Daktronics in 2011 and Hilton was a third team selection in 2013. Melissa DeLuca was an honorable mention AVCA All-American in 2007. Gale earned honorable mention accolades in 2008, while Maggie Malone and Lauren Billo were honorable mention All-Americans in 2009. Hilton earned honorable mention All-American recognition from the AVCA in 2011, while Alison Cooke was an honorable mention All-American in 2013.

The Bulldogs knocked off their third top-20 team of the year in the regional title match, defeating 17th-ranked Armstrong to win their third regional title in four years. Wingate saw its season come to an end against Wheeling-Jesuit, who finished the season ranked 17th. The Bulldogs faced a school-record six ranked teams during the 2013 season.

- Wingate media relations