Wingate Earns No. 3 Seed in NCAA DII Women's Tennis Southeast Regional
STORY COURTESY OF WINGATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Indianapolis, Ind.----For the third straight season and 16th time in program history, the Wingate University Bulldogs have earned a bid to the NCAA Division II women's tennis tournament. The 15th-ranked Bulldogs are the number three seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional, taking on second-seeded Columbus State University in the opener on Monday, May 10. The regional will take place in Dahlonega, Ga. on the campus of the University of North Georgia. Wingate enters the NCAA Tournament at 16-1 overall after going 11-0 in league play to earn the regular season SAC title.
"We are looking forward to competing and representing the SAC in the NCAA Tournament this upcoming weekend," head coach Michael Cabana says. "It's an honor to be invited to play and compete! You work all season to get to this point and we will be competing against the best teams in the region and country. For both teams, it will be a tough road but that's what you want. We want to compete against the best!"
#14 Flagler is the number one seed in the regional, followed by the 10th-ranked Cougars and 15th-ranked Bulldogs. Tournament host North Georgia is the number four seed, checking in at #16 in the most recent ITA poll, with Erskine rounding out the five-team regional.
Erskine and North Georgia will meet in the opening round Sunday, with the winner advancing to take on Flagler Monday. Wingate and Columbus State will meet on Monday in Georgia. The region title match is slated for Tuesday afternoon. The region champion advances to the national quarterfinals in Surprise, Ariz.
Wingate is making its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with the first coming in 1995. This marks the eighth appearance in 10 seasons for the Bulldogs, who earned hosting duties each of the last two seasons.
The Bulldogs won the SAC regular season and tournament titles in 2021, winning the championship for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. Wingate also won the SAC Tournament championship for the sixth time in the last 10 years.
Elena Bompieri and Elena Gunfaus both earned first team All-SAC singles honors for the Bulldogs, with Camilla Ciaccia earning second team accolades. Gunfaus was named the SAC Freshman of the Year, while Cabana earned Women's Tennis SAC Coach of the Year honors for the ninth time in his career.
Wingate and Columbus State met earlier this season, with the Cougars prevailing 5-2 in Georgia. Gunfaus and Flaminia Guidantoni picked up wins at three and five single for the Bulldogs.
NCAA Southeast Regional
Sunday, May 9 (Dahlonega, Ga.)
#4 North Georgia vs. #5 Erskine
Monday, May 10 (Dahlonega, Ga.)
UNG-EC winner vs. #1 Flagler
#2 Columbus State vs. #3 Wingate
Tuesday, May 11 (Dahlonega, Ga.)
Region Championship Match