Story provided by USC Upstate Athletics Department
With a steady rise over the past five years, USC Upstate has captured its best conference cup finish in school history.
The Big South Conference announced the final rankings for the George F. “Buddy” Sasser Cup Trophy for the 2024-25 season and USC Upstate finished the year with a fifth-straight top-five finish, marking the best five-year stretch since moving to Division I, placing third of the nine institutions in the Big South. The Spartans finished fourth of the nine institutions last year, fifth of 12 Big South schools two years ago and fourth of 11 institutions three seasons ago. This third place milestone encompasses the Spartans’ two conference memberships since making the move to Division I in 2007-08.
“This is a really important step for USC Upstate to continue to climb Sasser Cup Standings. It is a testament to the hard work and care of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for continuing to raise the bar every year,” said vice chancellor and director of athletics Matt Martin. “We have been consistently ascending the standings over the last 5 years and this year, on the strength of four conference championships in women’s soccer, men’s golf, softball and baseball we achieved this new high! I am so proud to be a Spartan!”
USC Upstate’s best finish as a member of the ASUN Conference (2007-2018) came in 2011-12, placing sixth out of the league’s then 10 institutions.
The Spartans in 2024-25 were solid on both women’s and men’s side, finishing third in the Men’s All-Sports Standings and fourth on the women’s side. Upstate’s women achieved a tie with last year’s result for the highest finish since 2020-21 when they also finished fourth. The Spartans were led by Big South championships in softball, women’s soccer and women’s outdoor track and field and volleyball posting the most points. Women’s outdoor track and field scored the most points in a conference championship meet in history this year. Upstate softball made it back-to-back Big South Tournament Championships this season.
On the men’s side, the Spartans ranked third and were led by championships for men’s golf and baseball and once again men’s track & field achieved a runner-up finish at the Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships – for a second straight year – to lead the Spartans on the men’s side. Men’s indoor track and field also contributed greatly to the third place showing.
The Sasser Cup Trophy is named for former Big South Commissioner Buddy Sasser and is awarded to the Big South member institution with the most successful year athletically, based on an average points system. Points are awarded for both regular-season and tournament finishes in each of the League’s 19 championships, and the average of the combined total is used to determine the overall point allocation in the respective sport. One bonus point is added to the average total for each Conference Champion/AQ representative, as well as any teams that receive at-large NCAA Championships berths. Teams tied in regular-season or tournament play split the points earned. Each member’s overall point totals are then divided by the number of sports sponsored by that school to determine the average.
2024-25 Sasser Cup Standings
1. High Point ………………. 8.87
2. Charleston Southern … 6.75
3. USC Upstate …………. 6.05
4. Radford …………………. 5.60
5. UNC Asheville…………. 5.42
6. Gardner-Webb ………… 4.63
7. Longwood ………………. 4.43
8. Winthrop ………………… 4.31
9. Presbyterian College …. 4.02
2024-25 Women’s All-Sports Award
1. High Point …………………9.06
2. Charleston Southern …..6.50
3. Radford …………………… 6.15
4. USC Upstate …………… 5.97
5. UNC Asheville …………… 4.81
6. Longwood ………………… 4.41
7. Gardner-Webb ……………4.35
8. Winthrop …………………… 4.08
9. Presbyterian College ……. 3.63
2024-25 Men’s All-Sports Award
1. High Point ………………….. 8.64
2. Charleston Southern ……. 7.13
3. USC Upstate ………………. 6.14
4. UNC Asheville …………….. 6.11
5. Gardner-Webb …………….. 4.97
6. Winthrop ……………………. 4.61
7. Presbyterian College …….. 4.54
8. Radford ……………………… 4.50
9. Longwood ………………….. 4.46
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