High Point University Leads Big South Conference Sasser Cup Standings

High Point University leads the Big South Sasser Cup standings after the fall sports season, the conference recently announced. The Panthers won the conference regular season in women’s soccer and finished second in the men’s cross country championship to highlight the fall season.

“It’s always a big goal for our department to lead the Sasser Cup and our fall sports represented us well,” said HPU Athletic Director Craig Keilitz. “We’re very confident with the teams we have put together in men’s and women’s basketball as well as indoor track and our spring sports. We’re looking to bring home more championships and beat our third-place Sasser Cup finish from last season.”

After the fall season, the Panthers are leading the men’s all-sports standings and rank third in the women’s all sports standings. High Point leads the Sasser Cup standings with a score of 14.30. The rest of the top five includes Liberty (13.92), Coastal Carolina (13.42), Winthrop (12.00) and Radford (10.95) in the 12-team conference.

The women’s soccer team went 8-1-2 in Big South play to claim its second regular-season championship and first outright championship. The Panthers had previously tied for the regular season title in 2010. High Point advanced to the Big South Tournament semifinals in both men’s and women’s soccer.

High Point’s men’s cross country team placed second at the Big South Championship for the sixth year in a row. Senior Jacob Smith won the individual race, becoming High Point University’s first-ever individual champ in men’s cross country. The HPU women’s cross country team placed third at the Big South Championship.

The HPU volleyball team went 9-5 in the Big South regular season, placing third overall and advancing to the conference tournament quarterfinals. The men’s soccer team placed fifth in the Big South regular season with a 5-3-2 record and advanced to the semifinals.

The Panthers just started conference play in both men’s and women’s basketball. Last year, the High Point women’s basketball team placed second in the regular season and advanced to the Big South Championship game and Women’s NIT.

High Point will also benefit from the addition of women’s lacrosse to the Big South’s inventory. The Panthers had previously competed in the National Lacrosse Conference, winning the NLC Tournament in 2011 and winning the regular season in 2012.

High Point’s highest-ever finish in the Big South Sasser Cup was third, which HPU did in each of the past four seasons.