Wofford Terriers

Wofford Terriers
University Wofford College
Conference Southern Conference
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic director Richard Johnson
Location Spartanburg, South Carolina
Varsity teams 18
Football stadium Gibbs Stadium
Basketball arena Benjamin Johnson Arena
Baseball stadium Russell C. King Field
Mascot Boss, Lil' Ruff
Nickname Terriers
Colors Black and Old Gold[1]
         
Website www.woffordterriers.com

Wofford College sponsors 18 sports for men's and women's programs, competing as the Terriers. The Terriers compete in the Southern Conference, and have been a part of the league since the 1997–98 academic year. Wofford and the other SoCon members play football in the Football Championship Subdivision. Prior to the 1995–96 year, the Terriers played in Division II in all sports, and until the 1988–89 period, Wofford's athletic teams were members of the NAIA. The football team plays in Gibbs Stadium. The basketball team plays in Benjamin Johnson Arena.[2][3]

The Wofford campus is also the site of the training camp of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, whose owner, Jerry Richardson, is a Wofford alumnus.[4]

Teams

A member of the Southern Conference, Wofford College sponsors teams in nine men's, eight women's, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sports:[5]

Men's Intercollegiate Sports Team Article Head Coach Women's Intercollegiate Sports Team Article Head Coach Co-Ed Intercollegiate Sports Team Article Head Coach
Baseball Terriers baseball Todd Interdonato Basketball Jimmy Garrity Rifle[v 1] Randy Hall
Basketball Terriers men's basketball Mike Young Cross Country Johnny Bomar
Cross Country Johnny Bomar Golf Angie Ridgeway
Football Terriers football| Mike Ayers Lacrosse (2017–18) [v 2] Ceri Miller
Golf Vic Lipscomb Soccer Amy Kiah
Soccer Ralph Polson Tennis Krissy Hall
Tennis Rod Ray Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor) Johnny Bomar
Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor) Johnny Bomar Volleyball Lynze Roos
Notes
  1. ↑ Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and coed teams all compete against each other.
  2. ↑ Wofford will add women's lacrosse for the 2017–18 school year (2018 season). That team will play in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which has a formal relationship with the SoCon in men's and women's lacrosse.

In recent years, Wofford athletes have ranked near the top of all Division I schools in APR (Academic Progress Rate).[6]

Men's sports

Baseball

As of 2016, Wofford has several players who were taken in the Major League draft (one in the sixth round) competing in the minor leagues, including one at the AAA level. Several Wofford alums over the years have played in the major leagues.

Men's basketball

On March 8, 2010 the Wofford Terriers men's basketball team defeated Appalachian State to win the Southern Conference tournament, marking the first time Wofford qualified to compete in the NCAA tournament. Although Wofford came within a possession of upsetting 4th seeded Wisconsin in the first round, they eventually lost 49–53. The Terriers qualified for the NCAA tournament for the second time on March 7, 2011, winning the Southern Conference tournament over College of Charleston, 77-67, but they lost in the first round to BYU. Brad Loesing, point guard and 4.0 Phi Beta Kappa student, was selected first team Division 1 All-American. In 2013, Wofford won the Southern Conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third time in five years, losing to Michigan in the second round. Wofford also won a spot in the 2015 NCAA tourney, going 28-6. In February 2016, Wofford set an NCAA record when it hit 17 of 21 shots from the three-point line against VMI. For the 2017 season, a new state-of-the-art basketball and volleyball arena will open on the Wofford Campus.

Football

The Terriers have won four Southern Conference football championships. Wofford won the 2003 championship outright, and shared the 2007, 2010 and 2012 championships. In 2007, Wofford was the conference champion and earned the automatic tournament bid based on winning the head to head matchup, however, Appalachian State received the automatic bid in 2010. The Terriers have made the I-AA/FCS playoffs 6 times. Wofford advanced the farthest in 2003, advancing to the semifinals before losing to Delaware. They have been noted for defeating FBS opponent UL-Monroe in 2000, 24-6. In 2006, Sports Illustrated called Wofford's uniform the 6th best nationally. As of 2014, three Wofford alums are on NFL rosters and one is on a CFL roster; one alum is an NFL club owner and one is an NFL club president. The academic record and standing (including academic progress) of Wofford's football (and other sports) teams is among the highest in NCAA Division 1; all students take substantive classes and majors, there being no phys ed, recreation, or similar majors. A recent all-conference quarterback graduated with a 4.0, majoring in physics and double minoring in math and computer science; he was recognized nationally as one of the two top FCS scholar-athletes. For 2014, Brenton Bersin, former Wofford wide receiver, is a WR for the Carolina Panthers.

Men's golf

As of 2014, Wofford alum William McGirt has for several years been pursuing a successful career on the PGA tour, including several top-ten and two top-two finishes. In 2016, McGirt won the Memorial (the "Jack Nicklaus Tournament"); he is currently number 13 in FedEx points.

Men's soccer

In recent years under Coach Ralph Polson, Wofford's men's team has won the Southern Conference championship and been selected to the NCAA tournament. Several players have been nationally recognized as among the top student-athletes in Division 1.

Women's sports

Women's soccer

In recent years under Amy Kiah, Wofford's women's soccer has shown steady improvement, both in its record and number of players winning athletic and academic honors.

Women's track and field

In 2013, the Wofford women's track and field team led the NCAA with a 3.61 GPA.

Volleyball

Wofford's volleyball team has made steady improvement in recent years. In 2012, Rachel Woodlee, a member of the volleyball team, was selected as Wofford's sixth Rhodes Scholar, winning a full post-graduate fellowship to Oxford University.

References

  1. ↑ Wofford College Logo Sheet (PDF). 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  2. ↑ "Wofford College". Wofford.edu. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  3. ↑ "SoConSports.com—Official Web Site of The Southern Conference". Soconsports.com. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  4. ↑ Strickland, Bryan. "Carolina Panthers: Jerry Richardson". Panthers.com. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  5. ↑ "Official Website of Wofford College Athletics". Athletics.wofford.edu. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "NCAA Announces APR Awards". SoCon Sports. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
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