Wingate's de Castro Navarro Earns SAC Men's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Wingate's Mateo de Castro Navarro was voted as the 2025 South Atlantic Conference Men's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced today.
The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
Castro Navarro, a sophomore from Valladolid, Spain, owns a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA while majoring in Mathematics. Most recently, he was named the SAC Elite 23 Award winner for Men's Outdoor Track and Field, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA in the conference. He is a two-time selection for the Wingate President's List and made the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll as a freshman.
In competition, he was an All-SAC First Team in the Indoor Shot Put as a sophomore and a First Teamer in Outdoor Shot Put as a freshman. He helped Wingate to Indoor and Outdoor Championships each of his first two years. This year, he competed in the Raleigh Relays and Duke Invitational, finishing in the top 15 in the shot put at both meets. During the summer of 2024, he competed in his home country of Spain, taking first place in the shot put in both the regional and the Spanish National Championships.
In his time at Wingate, he has done a lot with his local community. He has spent each of his first two years volunteering with East Elementary School, helping them run their Field Day event. He was also a Red Cross blood donor from 2018-22 and helped his hometown track club last summer. From 2013 to present, he was an Inclusive Sport volunteer in Spain, helping athletes with disabilities enjoy track and field.
2025 Men's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete Finalists
Mateo de Castro Navarro, Wingate
Jeffrey Stiles, Coker