University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville and USC Upstate announce new official rivalry series, the Ingles I-26 Rivalry
09.19.2023 | Baseball, Cross Country, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Track and Field, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Athletics News
Ingles I-26 Rivalry’s inaugural competition to begin Saturday, September 23.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A pair of Big South Conference rivals separated by 65 miles will embark on a journey to hoist college athletics newest trophy this year as UNC Asheville and USC Upstate compete in the inaugural installment of the Ingles I-26 Rivalry.
The Bulldogs and Spartans will compete throughout the year utilizing a points system awarding on-field success. Programs will also be able to earn points through volunteering with Ingles to help battle food insecurity in both Asheville, N.C., and Spartanburg, S.C.
The Ingles I-26 Rivalry begins Saturday, September 23, as the schools will compete on the volleyball court and women's soccer pitch.
Three points will be awarded for regular season victories in men's basketball, women's basketball, women's soccer, men's soccer, volleyball, and baseball. Three points will be awarded to the school with the higher finish in the Big South Championship in men's cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field and women's golf.
Bonus points are also up for grabs and tie into long-standing donation programs sponsored by Ingles. In basketball, the school with the most three-point shots made by their men's and women's basketball teams will score one point for each team. Ingles makes a $3 contribution to Woodfin Elementary School for each three-point shot by the Bulldogs.
On the baseball diamond, a bonus point will be awarded to the respective pitching staff with the most strikeouts during the season. Again, Ingles makes a $1 contribution to Woodfin Elementary School for every strikeout the Bulldog pitching staff records.
The community has the opportunity to earn their school three additional bonus points as the Universities will sponsor food drives in Kimmel Arena and the G. B. Hodge Center on dates when the schools compete against each other this coming season. Those dates will be announced soon.
Points will be tracked throughout the year, and the inaugural trophy presentation will be made to the school earning the most points as the student-athlete welcome-back event in August 2024.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Melissa Leavell, Director of Marketing, Ingles Markets
Ingles loves a good competition, especially between two great schools. We think the new series rivalry between USC Upstate and UNC Asheville will live up to the outstanding programs they have in each department, and both schools know how to turn up the intensity when needed! Ingles is excited to get in the middle of it all and help our communities at the same time.
Janet Cone, Senior Administrator for University Enterprises and Director of Athletics
Having a rivalry series with USC Upstate will add a little more motivation and fun for not only our student-athletes and coaches but also our fans. Each competition is so important to the overall outcome. This rivalry will also allow us to support our local communities. We are extremely thankful to Ingles and our colleagues at USC Upstate for their willingness to partner on the Ingles I-26 Rivalry.
Matt Martin, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics
We are excited to formalize our new rivalry series with UNC Asheville and grateful to Ingles for their support. What makes this rivalry series extra special is that not only will it reward our student-athletes for excellence in competition against their rival, but it will bring our respective fans into the mix by making them an active participant in the results and in making an impact in our respective communities. Special thank you to Ingles for their leadership in making the I-26 Rivalry with UNC Asheville a reality!
