ISLE of PALMS, S.C. – For the third time in the past four years, USC Upstate matched 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 2023-24 season and USC Upstate finished the year with a fourth-straight top-five finish, marking the best four-year stretch since moving to Division I, placing fourth of the nine institutions in the Big South. The Spartans finished fifth of 12 Big South schools a year ago and fourth of 11 institutions two seasons ago. This milestone encompasses the Spartans' two conference memberships since making the move to Division I in 2007-08.
"I'm so extremely proud of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff on a great year for Upstate Athletics," said vice chancellor and director of athletics Matt Martin. " It is a testament to all of the hard work and diligence they put toward our programs each day. The best part is, while we're certainly proud to have tied our best-ever finish this year, the future remains incredibly bright, and I have no doubt we'll be pushing to break into the top three next year!"!"
Since moving to the Big South, USC Upstate has appeared in one other Sasser Cup ranking, 2018-19, placing seventh out of 11. The award was not given during the 2019-20 year due to the cancellation of all spring sports at the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 2023-24 were paced by the women's sports programs, finishing fourth in the Women's All-Sports Standings. Upstate's women achieved their highest finish since 2020-21 when they also finished fourth. The Spartans were led by softball, women's soccer, and women's basketball posting the most points. Women's basketball reached the conference tournament semifinals for the first time in program history, while women's soccer reached the conference tournament finals for the first time in program history. Upstate softball made history after not only winning the Regular Season Championship, but also becoming the first program in Upstate history to win a Big South Tournament Championship.
On the men's side, the Spartans ranked seventh and were led by men's outdoor track & field team, followed by baseball. Men's track & field achieved its first ever runner-up finish at the Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships to lead the Spartans on the men's side. Upstate baseball collected the Big South Baseball Tournament Runner-up hardware for the second straight season.
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.
2023-24 Sasser Cup Standings
1. High Point .................................................... 8.65
2. Charleston Southern ....................... 6.65
3. UNC Asheville .......................................... 5.85
4. USC Upstate .............................................. 5.40
5. Radford .............................................................. 5.39
6. Longwood ...................................................... 4.85
7. Winthrop .......................................................... 4.64
8. Presbyterian College ...................... 4.45
9. Gardner-Webb ......................................... 4.36
2023-24 Women's All-Sports Award
1. High Point .................................................... 8.63
2. Charleston Southern ...................... 6.83
3. Radford ............................................................... 6.18
4. USC Upstate .............................................. 6.09
5. Longwood ..................................................... 5.06
6. UNC Asheville ........................................... 4.72
7. Presbyterian College ....................... 4.16
8. Winthrop .......................................................... 3.97
9. Gardner-Webb ......................................... 3.70
2023-24 Men's All-Sports Award
1. High Point .................................................... 8.68
2. UNC Asheville ............................................. 7.14
3. Charleston Southern ...................... 6.38
4. Winthrop ......................................................... 5.50
5. Gardner-Webb ........................................... 5.19
6. Presbyterian College ...................... 4.83
T-7. Longwood ....................................................... 4.61
T-7. USC Upstate ................................................ 4.61
9. Radford ............................................................. 4.08
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