Chuckey-Doak senior Dominic Hahnlen will get to keep playing the game he loves, and on Wednesday afternoon he signed his letter of intent to join the football program at Wingate University.
“It feels great to sign today,” Hahnlen said. “I love every second of this. I’m ready to start playing. I’ve wished for this since my freshman year. I was running routes at practice thinking about being here one day.”
Wingate University is located southeast of Charlotte, North Carolina and competes in the South Atlantic Conference. The Bulldogs went 9-3 in 2025 and advanced to the Division II playoffs. Wingate has earned a playoff spot in three of the past four seasons, and that on field success was a primary factor in why Hahnlen wanted to join the program.
“I had a couple of other options, but Wingate felt the best. My brother goes there, it’s a winning program. Everything about it felt positive and I just want to be part of winning,” Hahnlen said.
Hahnlen is also joining his brother Billy at Wingate. The older Hahnlen is a kicker and punter for the Bulldogs. Dominic is hopeful that knowing someone already on the team will make his transition to college football a little bit easier.
“I think having him there pushing me will help me get adjusted,” Hahnlen said. “I know getting used to the college game was tough for him, but I think having someone there with me will make everything easier.”
Hahnlen will play receiver for the Bulldogs, a position he has grown to love at Chuckey-Doak. In his senior season Hahnlen had 20 receptions for 367 yards and four touchdowns.
“I’ve always loved playing receiver. I love scoring touchdowns I love everything about it,” Hahnlen said. “Now I have to hit the weight room every day, and work hard every day. Now I have to push harder than ever before to be able to keep going.”
