Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs had four players earn All South Atlantic Conference honors, while junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) has been named the 2009 SAC Player of the Year, league officials announced Thursday. In addition, senior defensive specialist Chelsea Cancelliere (Richboro, Pa.) won the prestigious SAC Scholar Athlete award, while Shelton Collier was named SAC Coach of the Year for the third year in a row.

Gale, junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) earned first team All-SAC accolades. Sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) was named to the second team.

Gale earns first team all-conference honors for the third consecutive year. The 2008 honorable mention All-American led the South Atlantic Conference with 3.77 kills per set and was third in the league with a .304 hitting percentage. She earned first team All-Region honors in 2008 as well, while being named MVP of the Food Lion SAC Tournament. Gale earned SAC Player of the Week honors four times in 2009. She was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III first team, earning Academic All-District honors for the second straight year.

Gale notched double-digit kills for the top team in the region 21 times, while collecting seven double-doubles. She topped the 15-kill mark 12 times on the year. Gale had a career-high 24 kills to go along with 14 digs in a 3-2 at Lincoln Memorial. She had 22 kills, 17 digs and a .388 hitting percentage in the 3-1 win at Newberry. Gale led Wingate in blocks, while ranking second in aces and fifth in digs.

“Stormi has certainly been one of the key reasons we have had such amazing success over the last three seasons,” Collier says. “As a middle hitter, her kills and hitting percentage are always impressive, but in addition, she has established herself as an exceptional back row player, which is very unique for a middle hitter. She has also taken a noticeable step with her leadership ability, which has been a key factor in the success of this year’s team. She has consistently again this year been the best player in the conference. Stormi is deserving of this prestigious honor.”

Cancelliere was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III second team in 2008 and 2009. She is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Chi honor societies. She has been named to the Wingate President’s List six times and the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the past three years.

Her community and campus activities include serving as vice-president of Phi Epsilon Kappa honorary sports science fraternity, Campus Outreach and volunteering for a Habitat for Humanity mission trip during her spring break. A Sport Management major, Cancelliere has a 3.98 GPA. She is averaging 2.55 digs per set, while collecting double-digit digs nine times this year. Cancelliere had 20 digs in the 3-2 win over Carson-Newman, followed by a 16-dig performance against Lincoln Memorial. She collected her 1,000th career dig in Wingate’s 3-0 win over Newberry.

“It is great for Chelsea to receive such a nice award, recognizing academic achievement,” Collier acknowledges. “I know she is very conscientious about her class work. Along with our other players, Chelsea takes great pride in doing well academically. She has been a valuable defensive player, a key reason we have won championships here, but often does not get recognized because we have other players who normally get the volleyball-related awards. We are proud of her for receiving this award.”

A second team All-SAC performer in 2008, Billo led the SAC with a .316 hitting percentage this year. She was second with 3.46 kills per set. The three-time SAC Player of the Week this year, Billo had double-digit kills 22 times this season. She has hit over .300 in 19 matches on the year. Billo had 21 kills in the 3-0 win over Limestone. She had 12 kills and no errors in the win over Lenoir-Rhyne, while collecting 16 kills against two errors in the win at Brevard.

The 2008 SAC and Southeast Region Freshman of the Year, Willis also earned first team honors. She led the conference with 10.17 assists per set. She led the team with 11 double-doubles, while ranking fourth on the team with 2.47 digs per set. Willis helped lead Wingate to a league-best 14.4 kills per set and .262 hitting percentage. She racked up 46 assists and 11 digs in the three-set win at Catawba. She had 54 assists and 11 digs in the 3-2 win at LMU. Willis was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III third team this year.

Malone earns All-SAC honors for the second consecutive year. A first team All- SAC and first team all-region selection in 2008, Malone is second in the SAC with a school-record 4.86 digs per set this year. She is sixth in the league with 0.42 aces per set. Malone has had double-digit digs 26 times in 2009. She had a school-record 41 digs at LMU. She also set a school mark with 30 digs in a three-set match. Malone anchors a defense that leads the SAC in opponents’ hitting percentage and ranks fourth nationally in digs per set.

The 2008 SAC and Southeast Region Coach of the Year, Collier earns SAC Coach of the Year honors for the third consecutive season. He guided the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive regular season title and third straight season of more than 30 wins. This season, the Bulldogs have been the number one team in the Southeast Region all year. Wingate became the first team in the history of the SAC to earn a spot in the AVCA Top 25.

Wingate has won 46 consecutive SAC matches and 95 of its last 100 dating back to the 2007 season. The Bulldogs have gone undefeated in conference play three consecutive years. They will look to win their fourth straight Food Lion SAC Title this weekend in Tusculum. The top team in the region, Wingate has a strong chance to host the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament for the second straight year. The NCAA regional announcement will be made Sunday night from NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.

The South Atlantic Conference also recognized individual and team statistical leaders for the 2009 season. Gale was honored for leading the league in kills, while Billo led the way in hitting percentage and Willis led the league in assists. For the team awards, the Bulldogs led the way in seven of the eight categories. Wingate was the statistical champion in winning percentage, kills, hitting percentage, assists, aces, opponent hitting percentage and digs.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers more than 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past three years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 34 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 43 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)