Staff Writers: Michael Wayne O’Neill and Bode Arigbon

The Wingate cross-country teams took care of business Saturday morning by sweeping the South Atlantic Conference meet and taking home conference title hardware for both genders at Salisbury Community Park.

The men’s team finished with a score of 23 points and placed first overall. The Bulldogs had five runners in the top seven finishers and nine in the top 18 while finishing 31 points ahead of Catawba (54), Anderson (67), Lenoir-Rhyne (131) and Carson-Newman (142) to earn their second consecutive SAC title.

Wingate’s consistent training was a factor in their sweep, and the program benefitted from it. Head coach Pol Domenech, who was named the SAC men’s and women’s cross-country Coach of the Year, said outcomes are different from their process to prepare for races.

“We are big believers that outcomes should never be the reason why we work,” Domenech said. “Outcomes are byproducts of the process. This being said, it’s always good to retain those titles and start the last four weeks of the season with a positive experience.”

Junior Soheil Boufrizi, who won the conference meet individual title with a time of 25 minutes and 22 seconds in the 8,000-kilometer race, led the way for the Wingate men’s team. Seniors Saul Valdez, Brent Surratt, junior Jakob Rettschlag, senior Henning Kunze and sophomore Leo Freeland finished in a pattern of 4-5-6-7-8, respectively.

The No. 10-ranked Wingate women’s team also finished first place at the SAC Conference Meet with 34 points. The Bulldogs, who collected its sixth SAC title, outscored second-place Anderson (53), third-place Catawba (78), Lenoir-Rhyne (81) and Lincoln Memorial (133).

Sophomore Grace Burrell led the way for the women’s team by placing third in the 6,000- kilometer race with a time of 22 minutes and 20 seconds. Juniors Mollie Scott and Brooklyn Pierce finished fourth and fifth respectively, behind Burrell 12 seconds apart from each other.

While Wingate slowly left this meet behind them, more is in sight for the program. The Bulldogs will host the NCAA Division 2 Southeast Regional Meet Saturday, Nov. 19, with the men’s 10K race beginning at 10 a.m. and the women’s 6K race beginning at 11:15 a.m.

Wingate plans to dominate the meet on its pathway, but Domenech knows punching the ticket to compete in the D2 Nationals Meet in Seattle will not be easy.

“Making it to Seattle is the goal,” Domenech said. “We have never been on that course, but both teams did make it to nationals last year (at Saint Leo, Fla.), so we are experienced in regards to what needs to be done. Our men and women are more mature than last year, and we feel
confident that we will be ready.”

Staff Writer: RJ Rennie

Redshirt senior middle linebacker Jaquan Edwards is leading a
Wingate defense that has been nothing short of dominant during
the 2022 campaign. While the star defender has been a ferocious
tackler this season, off the field he is a soft-spoken family man
with a soft spot for home.

Born in Johnston, S.C., to John and Betty Edwards, Jaquan has
no shortage of athletes in his family. Both of his parents were
athletes in their day, and his brother, Tay Edwards, played football
in high school before exploring a different path after graduation.
Jaquan is a graduate of Strom Thurmond High School in
Edgefield County, where Johnston is located.

Edwards has a particular affection for his hometown. “A lot of
people don’t know us, but I try to represent [the town] hard,” he
said. “It’s the peace capital of the world located in the Lowcountry
of South Carolina.”

The town of about 2,500 residents is located about 100 miles
away from Wingate’s campus, but in Edwards’ four years at the
university, the distance has not kept him from making it home to
see his parents, siblings and family dog. He says that they are a
“dog family,” and they still have one of the two dogs he grew up
with.

“I try to make it home every chance I get,” he said. “I’m a really
family-oriented guy, so after being away from home I like to get
back to my city.”

Being from such a small town, it seemed like a perfect fit for
Edwards to end up at a place like Wingate, but his eyes were not
always fixed on the school. He had several schools recruit him out of high school, but they all dropped him right before the time
came to enroll.

Then former Wingate assistant coach Dillon
Tucker, the Bulldogs’ recruiting coordinator for his area at that
time, reached out to him, and Edwards was able make a quick trip
north to meet head coach Joe Reich.

Edwards says he is indebted to Reich for giving him his chance to
play college football.

“Coach Reich blessed me with an opportunity.” Edwards said.
“They showed me much love, and I told them I was coming on the
spot with no hesitation.”

After arriving on campus, Edwards graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in psychology, and he is currently enrolled in the MAT
(Master’s of Art and Teaching) program at the university.
Edwards was a three-sport athlete in high school, playing football,
basketball and baseball. He was primarily a forward in basketball
due to his 5-11, 228-pound stature, and in baseball he was a
catcher.

After a knee injury his sophomore year, he decided to
quit basketball and focus his attention on baseball and football.
In football, he was not always a linebacker. He played running
back for Strom Thurmond High, compiling 2,523 yards rushing
and 28 rushing touchdowns in his four years with the Rebels. That
offensive focus meant all of his high school tape was as a running
back, not at the position for which he currently excels. That switch
came after he arrived on campus and joined the team.

“Coach Reich asked me what I wanted to play, and I said
whatever helps the team,” Edwards said. “Coach told me that they
wanted me to be comfortable, and whatever position I wanted to
play I could play. We had some great guys in the backfield, so I
felt like I had a better opportunity to get on the field quicker at
linebacker. I went with that, and it’s turning out all right.”

It has been more than all right for Edwards and the Bulldogs’
defense this season. The group has led the nation in scoring
defense for most of the campaign, allowing 9.9 points per game,
and Edwards is among the conference leaders in tackles with
65.0.

He was a preseason first-team All-South Atlantic
Conference selection and picked as a team captain for the
Bulldogs. He has embraced the leadership role this season,
providing direction to help the defense thrive.

“It’s easy to lead those guys, because everyone has their team
agenda, and they are going to push each other and make each
other better.” Edwards said. “Sirod [Cook] pusing Justin Rhodes,
[sophomore defensive tackle] Justin Rhodes pushing DJ Horne,
[senior defensive end] DJ Horne pushing my guy [sophomore
defensive end Marquise] Fleming. It’s like iron sharpening iron out
there, and as a captain it’s very easy to lead those guys.”

Edwards’ teammates share the same respect for his leadership.
“Jaquan Edwards has always been a great leader,” Rhodes said.
“He always gets us in the right position, and if things go wrong we
look to him as a guy to help everybody step their game up. He is
a really important piece to our defense.”

As a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan, Edwards admires the talent of
NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Currently, he
models his linebacker play after the likes of Tampa Bay’s Devin
White and Pittsburgh’s Devin Bush Jr. As an All-America
candidate who’s leading arguably the best defense in all of
Division II, Edwards has been busy showing the teams that didn’t
recruit him what they are missing.

Cover Photo: Wingate defensive tackle Justin Rhodes stands over Lenoir-Rhyne quarterback Sean White after a sack in last Saturday’s 24-21 win over the Bears

Staff Writers: Samuel Rodriguez and RJ Rennie

The Wingate football team, winners of five consecutive games and six
straight on the road, takes on Newberry at Irwin Belk Stadium Nov. 5 in a
showdown for the Piedmont Division title of the South Atlantic Conference.
Coming on the heels of their 24-21 road win over top SAC rival Lenoir-
Rhyne last Saturday, the 8-1 Bulldogs (6-1 SAC) now have the inside track
to winning the league crown. A victory over the Indians Saturday will give
Wingate the right to host the first-ever SAC Championship Game on Nov.
12.

Over the last three weeks, the Bulldogs have gelled as a team and shown
great resilience, coming back from 21 points down to win in overtime at
Limestone Oct. 15 and then drilling Barton 28-3 at home Oct. 22 before the
big win over L-R, which snapped a five-game losing streak to the Bears.
Last year, Wingate lost 31-6 at home to its top rival. The team moved to 7-1
overall and 5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference.

After struggling early in the season, the offense for the Bulldogs has been
much improved in recent games. Graduate student quarterback Shaw
Crocker has thrown for 1,560 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine
interceptions so far this season, while adding 197 yards and three scores on
the ground.

“With the comeback at Limestone, I think that it was us really showing
what we’re capable of and it was definitely great to be a part of,” redshirt
senior tight end Luke Ferrell said. “I thought that we as a team were
clicking against Barton. Everything worked like a well-oiled machine.” 

The passing game for the Bulldogs has been stellar during this stretch.
Junior wide receiver Myles Dillon leads the team with 27 receptions, 334
receiving yards and four touchdown catches. He’s been given strong
support from fellow wideouts Ra’Quan Simmons (18 catches), Kamal Desor
(15) and Trevor Bryan (10).

Junior Kalen Clark leads the team in rushing with 452 yards, but
sophomore Alexander Wilson has come on of late, rushing for 53 yards on
11 carries against L-R. For the season, Wilson leads the team in rushing
touchdowns (four) and rushing average at 5.0 yards per carry.

“Against Barton, we started off hot, but we’ve got to do better in the second
half,” senior backup quarterback Dylan Elkins said. “I think our entire
running back group really stood out and stepped up this week. Players like
[running back] Kalen Clark made some big plays happen for us.” 

However, it’s a defense led by All-America linebacker candidate Jaquan
Edwards that has been the Bulldogs’ calling card. Wingate leads the nation
in total defense, third-down defense and tackles for loss. The Bulldogs, who
are one of only two teams in the country holding opponents to less than 10
points per game (9.9 ppg), rank among the top five defensively in sacks
(second), red-zone defense (fifth) and first downs allowed (third).

Senior defensive end DJ Horne leads conference in sacks with 7.5, while
sophomore linebacker Davon Gilmore and Edwards share the team lead in
total tackles with 65. Gilmore earned his first SAC Defensive Player of the
Week of his career after the Bulldogs’ victory against Barton. Sophomore
defensive end Marquise Fleming leads the SAC in tackles for loss with
15.0, just ahead of Gilmore and Horne, who have 12.0 each.

Wingate ranked third in Region 2 of the four Division 2 regional rankings
released this week.

Staff Writers: Caroline Backus and Cody Kelley

The No. 20-ranked Wingate volleyball team continued its near-perfect
2022 season by overpowering three opponents over the last two weeks.
Wingate played two home matches and one road match, beating Carson-
Newman and Lincoln Memorial two weeks ago at Cuddy Arena. The
Bulldogs also dominated Lenoir-Rhyne on the road last Saturday, giving
them a 24-1 record, a 22-game winning streak and a 15-0 South Atlantic
Conference record through nearly two months of play. 

The team also leads the nation in winning percentage and has the longest
winning streak in Division I and II women’s volleyball. Wingate ranks
second nationally in opponents’ hitting percentage (.079) and fifth in
hitting percentage (.293).

After compiling a perfect 5-0 record in their previous road trip, the
Bulldogs continued their dominance in their first home matches in three
weeks. The team took down conference foe Carson-Newman on Oct. 14,
winning 3-1. Wingate capped off its two-game homestand on Oct. 15 by
sweeping Lincoln Memorial. The team then continued its winning ways
with a 3-1 win against Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 22.

As Wingate continues to blow out its opponents, it also continues to
light up the stat sheet. Through 22 matches, the team ranks first in the
SAC in kills per set (14.05), hitting percentage (.289), assists per set
(13.11), service aces (172), service aces per set (2.1), block assists (328),
total blocks (201), blocks per set (2.45), points (1525.0) and points per
set (18.6).

While going undefeated over the last two weeks, the Bulldogs once
again received some individual recognition. On Oct. 17, graduate
student setter Shannon Kasprak was named SAC Offensive Player of the
Week. Her play was recognized once more the following week as she
was named SAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24. Kasprak
played a crucial role in Wingate’s victories over the last two weeks,
accumulating 82 assists, averaging 11.71 assists per set, eight kills, 17
digs and four blocks over the two matches against Carson-Newman and
Lincoln Memorial while handing out 52 assists, 24 digs and a block
against Lenoir-Rhyne. She also added five kills and had a .417 hitting
percentage.

Several other Wingate players have continued to pile up impressive
numbers as well. Freshman middle blocker Emily Johnson has continued
to be dominant in her first collegiate season as she ranks first in the SAC
in blocks per set (1.15) and fourth in hitting percentage (.389), while
graduate student setter Shannon Kasprak is third in assists per set
(10.41) and sixth in service aces (30).

The Bulldogs have one final road trip coming up as the regular season
nears its end. Wingate will travel to South Carolina to face Anderson on
Friday at 6 p.m. and wrap up the weekend on Saturday, facing Newberry
at 3 p.m.

Sports Writer: Michael O’Neill

Wingate freshman cross-country runner Isaac Mendoza is a bright young man from El Paso, Texas, who developed a curiosity for nature and his surroundings. He also has a competitive passion to give everything he has on the pathway and in the classroom.

Growing up in his hometown, Mendoza enjoyed going on camping trips with his father and being outdoors. Unlike most kids who play video games, he breathed the air around him and played with the children who lived in his neighborhood.

Mendoza’s love for the outdoors led him to swim, collect ants in jars and go on to enjoy shenanigans and adventures with his friends during the summers. He benefited from moving around in El Paso because he made friends with many children who he played with outside.

Mendoza also played many sports throughout his elementary school years, including soccer (five years) and basketball (two years). By the time he was in seventh grade, he did not play any sports because he focused on academics.

While he was sad about missing out on sports his freshman year, Mendoza trained at a gym and ran on his own. He later heard about the enhanced success of his high school cross-country team (Eastwood High School) and decided to accelerate his training. He remembers seeing them on television after winning a 5A district title in 2019, the same time he was a freshman.

“I remember seeing them on the news when the newspaper article came out,” Mendoza said. “Some of my old teammates were on the team too, so I thought that was cool. I thought to myself, ‘I want to do that and win a state championship.”

The following year, he moved to Eastwood, his high school across town in El Paso because that school had developed into an elite cross-country team emphasizing team bonding and academics. Although he was not allowed to be on the varsity team as a sophomore, he was considered one of the top junior varsity runners.

Fast forward to his junior season in the spring of 2021 Mendoza finished first in his first-ever high school cross-country meet. He was surprised with the result and immediately gained confidence in himself and his running mates.

At the same time, Mendoza struggled academically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented him with some barriers to college recruitment. Most colleges didn’t recruit him because his grades didn’t meet their standards, but Wingate became an exceptional fit for him.

Mendoza eventually committed to Wingate after giving it a lot of thought. Part of why he wanted to run for the Bulldogs was because of the hype they brought to the races, which resulted in top-10 rankings last season.

Head coach Pol Domenech and Mendoza stayed in communication and talked about what opportunities Wingate would offer him to run. According to Domenech, Mendoza was passionate about running for the Bulldogs because he knew he wanted to run for a Division-2 school.

After seeing the diversity Wingate has on his visit, Mendoza knew he would be accepted for who he is, considering his athleticism. He also knew the program would offer opportunities for their student-athletes who deserve them.

Once Mendoza arrived, he felt positive vibes from the culture that Domenech is trying to create.

“We saw a lot of potential in him…” Domenech said of Mendoza. “We’re very happy that we were correct, because I watched Isaac in practice for two months now, and I can already tell we were right when we saw the potential there.”

Although Mendoza is not eligible to race yet, he is using his first year as an opportunity for more progress in training and development. He has a positive spirit and looks forward to bonding with his teammates and hopefully running in an 8K (five-mile) race.

Mendoza also wants to help the No. 4-ranked Bulldogs continue to win South Atlantic Conference titles and lead them far into the postseason.

“I would like to be one of the top-10 runners next year, so I can be on the traveling team for nationals and regional race,” Mendoza said. “… I’m focusing on my training, listening to all of the coaches, doing the little things, and running with my teammates at practice.”

Staff Writers: Bode Arigbon and Michael O’Neill

The fourth-ranked Wingate men’s cross country team won the University
of Alabama at Huntsville Invitational Oct. 22 at the John Hunt Park XC
course. The Bulldogs placed five runners among the top 18 finishers in
the 8K event to post 53 points. Sixth-ranked Lee (Tenn.) University was
second with 87 points.
 
Wingate graduate student Pierre Galbourdin finished third with his 8K
time of 23:43.60. Sophomore Scott Nutter took fifth place with a time of
23:46.70. Junior Bastian Mrochen and sophomore Cas Kopmels finished
12th (23:54.30) and 15th (23:56.10), respectively. Graduate student
Oliver Way rounded out the Bulldog scorers, placing 18th with a time of
24:01.20.

The Wingate women finished second in the event, with sophomore
Grace Burrell leading the way at 14th overall in a time of 17:42.50. The
Bulldogs placed five runners among the top 28 finishers in the 5K race.
Wingate head coach Pol Domenech said the event, which featured 49
schools for the men and 44 for the women, was great preparation for the
team’s upcoming South Atlantic Conference championships and NCAA
Southern Regional to be held on the Bulldogs’ home course.

“Huntsville was definitely a big test for us,” Domenech said. “We did
not do anything special to prepare, but we knew we were racing top
competition (nationally ranked teams in both genders), so we wanted to
execute the race well and see where we stood against great competition.
On the men’s side, Pierre Galbourdin ran an incredible time. It has been
a long time coming for him as he was injured last season, so I’m really
proud he has been able to come back and at a really high level.

“On the women’s side, Grace Burrell led the team with another great
performance. Similar to Pierre, she came back from a tough injury last
year, and it feels great to see her up there again”
Both Wingate teams compete in the 2022 South Atlantic Conference
championships Nov. 5 in at Salisbury Community Park near host.
Catawba College. The Bulldogs are the defending champions in both the
men’s and the women’s competitions.