The Big South Conference announced the results for the 2025-2026 George F. "Buddy" Sasser Cup Trophy on Friday morning, recognizing the top overall athletic seasons in the Big South. Charleston Southern claimed second overall in this year's standings for the third consecutive academic year with this marking their fourth overall time finishing that high. The first time they claimed a runner-up finish came in 1994-95 with the others coming in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
In 2025-2026, Charleston Southern averaged 6.27 Sasser Cup points in 15 championship sports and accumulated a total of 94 points based on its finish in conference regular season and championship competition. High Point won the overall title, while the Bucs were able to finish over a three-quarters of a point ahead of everyone else in the league.
The Buccaneers collected a pair of Big South Championships during the year with them coming in men's cross country and women's tennis. Additionally, the Bucs had four runner-up finishes with them coming in men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field.
The Sasser Cup Trophy is named for former Big South Commissioner Buddy Sasser (1989-96) 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.
The complete listing of the 2025-26 Sasser Cup and All-Sports standings appear below, as well as the annual Sasser Cup champions.
2025-2026 Sasser Cup Standings
1. High Point – 9.23
2. Charleston Southern – 6.27
3. UNC Asheville – 5.52
4. USC Upstate – 5.30
5. Radford – 5.22
6. Gardner-Webb – 4.74
7. Winthrop – 4.66
8. Longwood – 4.59
9. Presbyterian – 3.73
Women's All-Sports Standings
1. High Point – 9.06
2. Radford – 6.42
3. Charleston Southern – 6.00
4. UNC Asheville – 5.75
5. Longwood – 4.89
6. Gardner-Webb – 4.60
7. Winthrop – 4.444
8. USC Upstate – 4.437
9. Presbyterian – 2.59
Men's All-Sports Standings
1. High Point – 8.93
2. Charleston Southern – 6.67
3. USC Upstate – 6.29
4. Presbyterian – 5.25
UNC Asheville – 5.25
6. Winthrop – 4.93
7. Gardner-Webb – 4.91
8. Longwood – 4.25
9. Radford – 3.68