CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Through the completion of the 2008 fall athletic season, Coastal Carolina University leads the Big South Conference member institutions in the race for the League’s 2008-09 George F. “Buddy” Sasser Cup Trophy.  The Chanticleers have accumulated 71.75 points in six sports for a Conference-best 11.96 average, ahead of second-place High Point (11.20 average, 56 points in five sports) and third-place Liberty (10.33, 62 points in six sports).

Coastal Carolina, which last won the Sasser Cup in 2006-07, won the Women’s Cross Country Conference Championship during the fall season, in addition to regular-season championships in women’s soccer and volleyball.  The Chanticleers also were runner-up in men’s soccer for both the regular-season and tournament, as well as the runner-up in the women’s soccer and volleyball tournaments.

Winthrop stands in fourth-place with an average of 8.55 (42.75 points in five sports), followed by VMI at 8.05 (40.25 points in five sports).  Radford holds the sixth position with a 7.85 average (39.25 points in five sports), while UNC Asheville is seventh at 7.40 (37 points in five sports).  Charleston Southern stands eighth at 4.95 (24.75 points in five sports), followed by Gardner-Webb at 4.92 (29.5 points in six sports) and Presbyterian at 3.17 (9.5 points in three sports).

In addition to the overall lead, Coastal Carolina leads the Women’s All-Sports Award race.  The Chanticleers’ current average of 15.17 (45.5 points in three women’s sports) is ahead of High Point’s 11.83 average (35.5 points in three sports).  VMI is third in the women’s race with an 11.50 average (23 points in two sports).

Winthrop, with a regular-season and tournament championship in men’s soccer, stands first in the Men’s All-Sports Award chase with an 11.13 average (22.25 points in two men’s sports), just ahead of Liberty’s 11.00 average (33 points in three sports).  High Point is third with an average of 10.25 (20.5 points in two sports).

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 a points and ratio system.  Points are awarded based on both regular-season and tournament finish in each of the League’s 18 championships, based on the number of teams participating in the regular-season and tournament, respectively.  A school must be eligible to participate in a specific sport championship to receive Sasser Cup points in that sport.  There shall be a weighted factor of 1.5 for those sports that only participate in regular-season play (football) or a tournament (cross country, track, golf), but not both.  Teams tied in regular-season or tournament play split the points earned.  Each member’s point totals are then divided by the number of sports sponsored by that school to determine the average.

The current 2008-09 Sasser Cup and Women’s and Men’s All-Sports standings appears below.  A printable chart is available at the bottom of this page in .pdf format.

2008-09 Sasser Cup Standings
1. Coastal Carolina............11.96
2. High Point......................11.20
3. Liberty...........................10.33
4. Winthrop.........................8.55
5. VMI................................8.05
6. Radford...........................7.85
7. UNC Asheville.................7.40
8. Charleston Southern.........4.95
9. Gardner-Webb................4.92
10. Presbyterian...................3.17

2008-09 Women’s All-Sports Award 
1. Coastal Carolina...............15.17
2. High Point........................11.83
3. VMI................................11.50
4. Liberty...............................9.67
5. Radford.............................9.50
6. Winthrop...........................6.83
7. UNC Asheville..................6.67
8. Charleston Southern..........5.50
9. Presbyterian......................4.25
10. Gardner-Webb...............4.17

2008-09 Men’s All-Sports Award
1. Winthrop..........................11.13
2. Liberty..............................11.00
3. High Point.........................10.25
4. Coastal Carolina.................8.75
5. UNC Asheville....................8.50
6. VMI...................................5.75
7. Gardner-Webb...................5.67
8. Radford..............................5.38
9. Charleston Southern............4.13
10. Presbyterian......................1.00