Wingate Continues to Lead Echols' Cup Standings After Winter Update

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Following the completion of the 2025-26 winter sports seasons, Wingate continues to lead the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award standings with 939.5 points.

The Bulldogs have built a strong lead through success across multiple sports throughout the fall and winter seasons, highlighted by winter conference titles in men's and women's indoor track and field to give them five teams to earn the maximum amount of 100 points so far this year.

Lenoir-Rhyne currently sits in second place with 751.5 points, while Anderson is close behind in third with 746 points after strong performances across both fall and winter competition.

Catawba ranks fourth with 740 points, and Carson-Newman rounds out the top five with 679.5 points.

Lincoln Memorial holds sixth place with 581.5 points, followed by Newberry in seventh with 458.5 points.

Emory & Henry and Tusculum are tied for eighth place with 393.5 points each. UVA Wise sits in 10th with 383.5 points, followed by Mars Hill in 11th with 366.0 points. Coker currently rounds out the standings with 353.0 points.

Several programs made notable moves in the standings following the winter championship season. Lenoir-Rhyne climbed from third place after the fall standings into second, while Anderson slipped one spot to third despite adding significant winter points. Tusculum made one of the biggest jumps of the winter season, moving up from 11th place into a tie for eighth. UVA Wise also gained ground, climbing from 12th into 10th place. Meanwhile, Newberry and Lincoln Memorial maintained solid positioning in the middle of the standings after consistent results across the fall and winter sports seasons.

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 (Through Winter Sports)

With winter championships complete and spring sports underway, the race for the Echols Athletic Excellence Award remains competitive as programs look to add valuable points during the final portion of the academic year.