Wingate Ready For Storybook Season To Continue

KEARNEY, Neb. -- After Wingate University's 66-65 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional semi-final victory over Augusta State University on Saturday, March 15, first-year Bulldog head coach Barbara Nelson compared the 2007-08 season to a cinematic tale.

"(Our season) is a Disney movie," Nelson said at the March 15 post-game press conference. "I always wanted to be in one of those movies. I have watched Miracle and Hoosiers…you always want to be a part of one of those movies."

The storybook season continues for Wingate (26-7 overall) Wednesday, as the Bulldogs will face Northern Kentucky University (25-8 overall) in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The contest will be held in the Health and Sports Center on the campus of University of Nebraska, Kearney (pronounced car-knee). Bulldog fans can watch the Wednesday quarter-final contest on the CSTV web site (http://www.cstv.com/ncaa/divii/).

In the early stages of the season, the Wingate Bulldogs struggled to find their identity. The South Atlantic Conference head coaches picked the squad to finish seventh in the pre-season coaches' poll. The team started the season 2-4 overall.

The team's seventh game was a 72-64 SAC victory over pre-season favorite Newberry College December 5 in Cuddy Arena on the Wingate campus. Two days later, Wingate rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to take an 80-66 road victory over number 16 Shaw University.

The Bulldogs had never defeated the Bears at Shaw's C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium, so the victory was especially sweet for senior guards Kate Edwards (Laurinburg, N.C.) and Kasey Gillis (Indian Trail, N.C.). In addition, Shaw ended Wingate's season in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional in 2005 and 2006.

Edwards played a big role in the Shaw victory, as she scored 18 of her team-high 23 points after halftime. In Wingate's 82-72 regional championship triumph over Clayton State (Ga.) University, Edwards led the Wingate attack with 22 points and eight rebounds.

The South Atlantic Conference's all-time leader in three-point percentage, Edwards was six-of-10 from beyond the arc in the CSU victory. Edwards joined junior point guard Anna Atkinson (Marion, N.C.) on the regional all-tournament team.

Barbara Nelson

After the team's 2-4 start, Wingate is 24-3 overall. Nelson attributes the recovery to teamwork. "This team has been very unassuming all year," Nelson said at Tuesday's Elite Eight press conference at the University of Nebraska, Kearney Health and Sports Center. "We never talked about winning conference championships and regional championships. We tried to focus on different goals…on learning how to play every possession to our fullest potential."

Nelson admits the first few games of the season were tough. "It has been a year of ups and downs," Nelson acknowledged. "I believe we are focused (for the Elite Eight)."

If a movie studio steps up to make a flick about the Bulldogs, Nelson does not hesitate about the actress to play her role. "I want Debra Winger," Nelson said, picking the Terms of Endearment/An Officer and a Gentleman actress.

Each Bulldog coach and student-athlete was asked to pick the actress to play their role. Here are the answers:

Coaches

Barbara Nelson - Debra Winger
Debra Savino - Uma Thurman
Brooke Wilkinson - Cameron Diaz

Certified Athletic Trainer
Erin D. Thornton - Amanda Bynes

Student-athletes
Anna Atkinson - Natalie Portman
Lauren Beeson - Salma Hayek
CC Brooks - Sanaa Lathan
Erica Crumlin - Brandy Norwood
Kate Edwards - Hilary Swank
Kasey Gillis - Julia Roberts
Jessy Keitt - Halle Berry
Paige Mincey - Jennifer Aniston
Emily Parrish - Julia Stiles
Stacie Rhodes - Nicole Kidman
Sarah Rosser - Reese Witherspoon
Stefani Shuey - Jennifer Aniston
Leslie Tucker - Jennifer Garner
Brittany West - Rachel McAdams/Jennifer Biel

It's a Small World…

Two student-athletes from Wingate and Northern Kentucky will know much about each other on Wednesday. NKU junior guard Jessie Slack (Mt. Perry, Ohio) and Wingate sophomore forward/center Erica Crumlin (Irmo, S.C.) played together last season at East Carolina University. Slack and Crumlin helped the Pirates capture the Conference USA championship.

Crumlin's impact inside has been immediate, as she is the team's top rebounder with 6.2 boards per game. In addition, Crumlin is sixth in the NCAA Division II with her 2.6 blocked shots per game. Slack is one of three Norse who average double-digit points. She contributes 13.2 points per game for NKU.

Other news and notes…

The 2007-08 season is the 20th anniversary of Wingate's NAIA Final Four team. The 1987-88 Bulldogs won 33 consecutive games before losing twice in the NAIA Final Four in Kansas City, Mo. Three members of the team (Cheryl Barrineau, Pam Elleby and Direne Thomas) are members of the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame.

Wingate (33-2 overall in 1987-88) lost to eventual national champion Oklahoma City University in the 1988 NAIA semi-finals. Arkansas Tech edged Wingate in the now-defunct third-place game. Last fall, the Bulldog athletic department honored the 1987-88 club as a Team of Distinction at the school's Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies.

Wingate's Tuesday visit to Kenwood Elementary School was a big hit. The team spent 90 minutes at the school, sharing with approximately 35 children. The Bulldogs signed autographs, posed for pictures and shared quality time with the children.