Women’s Golf first team to represent Wingate wearing Under Armour

By Arantxa Taberneiro

Staff Writer

The Wingate University women’s golf team, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in NCAA Division 2, has switched from Nike to Under Armour, making it the only team at the university to use the Baltimore-based brand.

Veteran Wingate player Thalia Pérez Vieco, who has had the opportunity to wear clothing from both brands, said the change was mainly due to Head Coach J.D. Lamm’s preferences for Under Armour and budget considerations.

“Our coach likes this brand much more, and we can save more money and buy more things,” said Pérez Vieco, a senior from Valencia, Spain. 

The switch has caused mixed emotions among the players.

“At first it was a little bit weird to be the only team [on campus] with Under Armour,” said the Bulldogs’ top player, Amely Bochaton, last season’s Women’s Golf Coaches’ Association National Player of the Year. “But to be honest it’s not too bad. I really like this new brand.”

Pérez Vieco said she has always worn Nike up until now and had developed a personal attachment to it, but she has been impressed with the quality of the new attire so far. “The polos are very comfortable,” she said. “When we play in parts of Florida where it’s much hotter, the polos breathe more, and the sweatshirts are also a different fabric—very soft inside.”

Bochaton, a sophomore from France, won her eighth career individual title Oct. 6-7 at the St. Simons Intercollegiate Tournament wearing the new uniform. “I think Under Armour has better polo shirts for golf,” she said, “but for T-shirts Nike is definitely better.”

Despite the change, all the players said they feel comfortable and that the new uniforms represent them well while playing for the Navy Blue & Vegas Gold.

“There’s not much difference between the uniforms—it’s really more about the material,” Pérez Vieco said.