BUENA VISTA, Va. On Wednesday afternoon, the USA South Athletic Conference announced the winners of the Overall, Men's, and Women's Presidents Cups. The recipient of the overall Sportsmanship Award was revealed on Thursday.

For the fifth consecutive year, Southern Virginia University claims the Overall and Women's cups, regarding the Knights as the top athletic program in the conference. Pfeiffer won the men's cup while Southern Virginia finished second.

With a purpose to recognize the top performing institutions throughout the year, the cups are determined by a point system. The first place team in each sport is awarded the number of points which corresponds to the number of schools in the conference that sponsor a team in their respective sport. The second place team receives one less point and so on. Points earned in each sport are then compiled to determine the standings for each cup.

The tournament champion of each sport, except football, indoor and outdoor track & field, receives two bonus points, while the runner-up receives one bonus point. In golf and cross country, first and second place individual finishes can receive bonus points for the team.

The Presidents Cup was first presented after the 1978-1979 academic year. A separate men's and women's cup, in addition to the overall cup, was created following 2004-2005. The Knights tallied five conference championships and four runner-up finishes in 2025-2026.

Sportsmanship Award

While Southern Virginia enjoyed tremendous success in competition, they maintained respectability in character. The Knights were voted as the Sportsmanship Award recipients in four spring sports; baseball, softball, women's lacrosse, and men's tennis. This brings SVU's total to 8 sports to have claimed the award this year, giving Southern Virginia University the USA South's Overall Sportsmanship Award for the fifth consecutive year.

Individual Team Recipients:
Football
Women's Volleyball
Men's Basketball
Women's Basketball
Baseball
Softball
Women's Lacrosse
Men's Tennis

Votes are made by the players on each team who they deem to have demonstrated the best sportsmanship throughout the season. The award was instituted by the conference's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to emphasize its importance. 

For the most up-to-date information and details on Southern Virginia University athletics, visit knightathletics.com and follow @svuathletics on Instagram.