Wingate Leads 2025-26 SAC Echols Cup Standings at Midyear Mark

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) -  Following the completion of the 2025-26 South Atlantic Conference fall sports seasons, Wingate leads the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award standings. The Bulldogs earned 539.5 points, highlighted by league titles in men's and women's cross country, volleyball and a strong football season.

Anderson sits in second place with 479 points, paced by a regular-season championship in men's soccer and top-three finishes across multiple fall sports.

Lenoir-Rhyne is third with 377.5 points, boosted by a runner-up finish in women's soccer and consistent placements in both cross country and volleyball.

Catawba holds fourth with 361 points, while Carson-Newman rounds out the top five at 332.0 points behind strong results in football and volleyball.

Newberry sits in sixth with 321.5 points, followed closely by Lincoln Memorial in seventh at 314.5 points. Emory & Henry is eighth with 298.5 points, while Mars Hill is ninth at 228.0 points.

Coker (222.5), Tusculum (217.0), and UVA Wise (187.0) complete the fall standings.

The Echols Athletic Excellence Award is presented annually to the member athletic department that earns the highest cumulative point total across all 23 SAC championship sports. Regular season finishes determine point values in soccer, volleyball, football, field hockey, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, baseball, and softball, while SAC Championship results determine scoring for cross country, swimming, golf, and indoor and outdoor track and field.

In the Echols scoring model, champions receive the maximum point total assigned to that sport, with subsequent places scaled based on the number of sponsoring institutions.

2025-26 SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Cup Standings

With winter championships approaching and spring sports still ahead, the standings remain fluid. Several programs are positioned to climb as additional point opportunities become available.