HILTON HEAD, SC -- The Peach Belt Conference announced that Georgia Southwestern State University has claimed the inaugural 2025-26 Campus Spirit and Engagement Award at the league's annual awards dinner in Hilton Head on Tuesday night.
The Peach Belt Conference and the Vice Chancellors/ Vice Presidents of student affairs introduced this award in an effort to encourage both athletic departments and divisions of student affairs at each member institution to increase attendance and enhance the in-game/ game day experience. The criteria for this award focuses on student attendance, total attendance, the collaboration of each department, gender equity and the impact the event has on attendance and engagement.
Georgia Southwestern State University hosts many events throughout the year that are a result of collaboration between Student Affairs and Athletics. The atmosphere at GSW sporting events is among the very best in the Peach Belt Conference. Two of the events are highlighted below. GSW applies similar strategies across both men’s and women’s athletics, ensuring equitable investment in attendance growth and student experience across all programs. Programs such as Under the Lights and GSW Homecoming alternate years between men’s and women’s competitions.
The Canes “Under the Lights” program is in its eighth year and was hosted on Thursday, September 4 at their women’s soccer game vs Brewton Parker. The evening drew a record-breaking crowd of 1,329 fans, including 536 GSW students – marking the largest attendance in program history! This event was also the largest attended Division II women’s soccer match in the nation for the 2025 season and the largest Division II single-game women’s soccer attendance since 2022.
Georgia Southwestern’s 5th annual “Teddy Bear Toss” was held at their men’s basketball game on February 25 vs USCA. The event drew in a crowd of 1,493 with 572 students in attendance. When the moment arrived, approximately 2,000 stuffed animals were thrown onto the court, pushing GSW’s cumulative donations to over 10,000 bears in our five years of hosting this event. These donations benefit local hospitals, law enforcement, and fire and rescue agencies, providing comfort to children facing difficult or traumatic situations.