Wingate's Patton Named Southeast Region AVCA Grant Burger Media Award Winner
Story courtesy of Wingate Athletic Communications
Lexington, Ky.----Wingate University director of athletic communications Hugh Patton has been named the NCAA Division II Southeast Region honoree for the American Volleyball Coaches Association Grant Burger Media Award. Presented each year by the AVCA, the honor focuses on hard-working, dedicated individuals across the country.
"It is awesome that Hugh is recognized with this award for his exceptional work," Wingate head volleyball coach Shelton Collier says. "He is so valuable to Wingate Athletics and Wingate Volleyball with his skills as a writer, with game stories as well as feature stories."
"At home volleyball matches, he keeps statistics, announces the match, does social media and plays the music, followed by a comprehensive post-game story," Collier says. "I am not aware of anyone else in the country who has this impressive skill set. We are proud of him for his work with volleyball and now for his recognition by the AVCA."
HUGH PATTON
- Patton has covered Bulldog volleyball for 13 years
- He was promoted to Wingate's director of athletic communications in August of 2018
- During his tenure, Wingate has hosted the NCAA volleyball regionals eight times
- The Bulldogs have won five regional titles, with four of those coming in Cuddy Arena
- Patton is also the regional coordinator of the D2CCA Volleyball All-Region and All-American voting
- The Wingate alumnus supervises coverage for 23 Bulldog sports
- Patton is the primary contact for volleyball, football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and men's and women's tennis
- Thanks to his efforts, Wingate leads the South Atlantic Conference with over 13,000 Twitter followers
- Wingate is the only SAC school and one of only two NCAA D2 schools with an ESPN3 contract
- In the fall of 2019, Patton and his staff covered six Bulldog teams who earned NCAA tournament bids
- Wingate hosted the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional (SER) volleyball tournament in 2019
- In addition, the Bulldogs hosted the SAC and SER cross country meets and home playoff games in men's soccer and football last fall
- Wingate was the video host for the 2019 SAC soccer semifinals and finals in Matthews
AVCA
With its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., the AVCA is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy and professional development. With a membership of over 8,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport.
AVCA members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 36 undergraduate majors as well as six master's and four doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
Wingate is the leading healthcare education provider in western North Carolina, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Athletes on Wingate's 23 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.