Wingate Wins South Atlantic Conference Record 10th-Straight Echols Athletic Excellence Award

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) –Wingate University won the 2015-16 South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for a South Atlantic Conference record 10-consecutive year.  Wingate turned in 180 points in the standings to go along with five SAC Championships. 

The Bulldogs won the Conference championship in women’s cross country, men’s soccer, volleyball and men’s and women’s tennis as well as second-place finishes in women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse and women’s track and field.  Wingate also claimed the SAC tournament championship in men’s soccer and women’s hoops

Queens placed second in the standings with 155.5 points with League titles in men’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s lacrosse.  Carson-Newman was close behind Queens with 138.5 points to place third as the Eagles claimed the women’s and men’s soccer championship.  Lenoir-Rhyne claimed the SAC men’s lacrosse and softball championships to place fourth in the field with 131 points.  Coupled with the SAC men’s basketball and men’s golf championships, Lincoln Memorial rounds out the top five in the standings with 130.5 points.

Anderson came in sixth in the standings with 104.5 points, followed by Catawba with 99.5 points.  Tusculum’s 98 points was good for eighth in the standings, while Coker came in at No. 9 with 91.5 points.  Newberry finished at the No. 10 spot with 91 points and Mars Hill placed 11^th with 86.5 points.  Brevard rounded out the list at No. 12 with 57.5 points.

The Trojans won the women’s basketball championship, while the Catawba Indians won the football and baseball titles. 

Carson-Newman shared the men’s soccer championship with Wingate, while Tusculum and Wingate were co-men’s tennis champions.

The Echols Athletic Excellence Award is presented annually to the member athletic department that earns the highest point total based on cumulative final standings in each of the Conference's 18 sports.  Regular season finish is used in the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball, while SAC Championship results are used for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf and men’s and women’s outdoor track.

2015-16 SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award Standings