Wofford Terriers

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 teams moved to the new Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for the 2017–18 season.

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

Teams

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

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

=Men's sports=

Men's basketball

Wofford Terriers Men's Basketball competes in the Southern Conference. They have won 4 regular season SoCon Titles and 5 SoCon Tournament Championships and 1 SoCon Tournament Runner-Up. The Terriers currently hold a 1–5 record in the NCAA Tournament. Wofford has defeated various high major opponents during their 27 years in D1. They have beaten North Carolina twice, South Carolina twice, Georgia twice, Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Seton Hall, Purdue, Tulane, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Air Force, George Mason, and Xavier since joining D1 for the 1995–96 season.

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, Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, will open on the Wofford campus. In the 2017 season, Wofford defeated the defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, the first Wofford win against a ranked opponent & the first win against a Top 5 opponent in School history.

During the 2018–19 season, Wofford was nationally ranked for the first time in school history. The Terriers finished with a 30–5 record and 18–0 in the Southern Conference, ''the first undefeated SoCon season in the modern era''. As a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, they defeated 10th seeded Seton Hall 84–68 in the first round, and during the game Wofford star Shooting Guard Fletcher Magee broke the NCAA record for All-Time Career Three Pointers made. They went on to lose to Kentucky 62–56 in the second round of the NCAA tournament in a contest that garnered the 2nd Highest Ratings of any game during the Round of 32. Fletcher went on to win the 2019 Lou Henson Award, an award given annually by CollegeInsider.com to the most outstanding mid-major men's college basketball player in NCAA Division I competition. They spent the final 5 weeks in the AP Top 25 poll, finishing in the Final AP Top 25 at #18. Following the season, legendary Wofford Basketball Coach Mike Young was hired as the new Head Coach at Virginia Tech, with Jay McAuley taking over as Wofford Head Coach.

During the 2019–2020 season, Wofford beat the 17th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels again in Chapel Hill for the second time in 3 years. They finished 7th in the Southern Conference during the regular season, but made a run in the Southern Conference Tourney with its second appearance in the SoCon title game in as many years before Wofford lost to ETSU in the finals. The following season, 2020–21, the season was significantly shortened due to COVID-19 and no fans were allowed to attend games. Wofford finished Second in the SoCon during the regular season, a half game back of UNC-G. This sparked controversy as Wofford held the head-to-head advantage with UNC-G, and Wofford was not allowed to make-up a game with Samford which had been delayed and later cancelled. As a two seed in the SoCon Tournament, Wofford was upset by 7th seed Mercer, losing 62–61.

Football

Football Championship Sub-Division Playoffs

Wofford has gone to the FCS Playoffs a total of 10 times (2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019). In 2003, Wofford appeared in the FCS Playoffs for the first time in school history, and won its first two games advancing to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, they lost to the would-be FCS Champions Delaware, and finished the season ranked #3 in the nation. The Terriers moved on to the quarterfinals in 2007 before losing to Richmond. They lost in the opening round to James Madison in 2008. In 2010, they advanced to the National Quarterfinals to face Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern. They were defeated in that game 20–23. In 2011, they made it to the playoffs, losing to Northern Iowa 21–28 in the second round. In 2012, Wofford dominated visiting New Hampshire, to move on to the Quarterfinals to face would-be champions North Dakota St. Although they had many chances to win, they fell 14–7.

Football Conference Championships

Wofford's Football team has won 7 Southern Conference Championships. The first came in 2003, when Wofford finished 12–2, with a trip to face Delaware in the Division I-AA Playoff Semifinals. The next championship came in 2007, sharing the championship with Appalachian State, who would go on to win the Football Championship Sub-division (I-AA) Championship. Wofford would also win Conference titles in 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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 golf

The school's most notable golf alum is William McGirt, winner of the 2016 Memorial Tournament. P.J. Boatwright, Wofford alumnus, was recognized as the world's foremost authority on the rules of golf.

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 basketball

The Terriers have played in Division I since 1997. In 2016, under Coach Jimmy Garrity, Wofford enjoyed its most successful season in 14 years and has recruited a strong freshman class for 2017.

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. in 2019, Wofford runner Hannah Steelman finished third in the NCAA in the women’s 3,000, earning All America status.

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. In 2016, under Coach Roos, Wofford volleyball enjoyed its most successful season in the D1 era; the SoCon freshman of the year was a Terrier.

Gallery

File:WoffordGibbsStadium2.jpg, Gibbs Stadium, home stands
File:WoffordGibbsStadium1.jpg, Gibbs Stadium, visitor stands

References

External links

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{{South Carolina Sports