Updated

Gardner-Webb senior wide receiver Marquis Sanders has been granted an extension of eligibility waiver by the Big South Conference and the NCAA.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Sanders, from Mt. Holly, N.C., missed the final seven games of the 2010 season with injuries and the final nine games this past season.

Gardner-Webb's best vertical threat in the passing game, Sanders has caught 54 passes for 690 yards in his career, including a career-high 36 receptions for 459 yards and two touchdowns in 2009.

He is on track to graduate in May and plans to return in the fall as a graduate student.

Gardner-Webb will kick off the 2012 season at home on Sept. 1 against Wofford.