"Battle for the paddle" continues into new year

Regional rivals USC Aiken and Augusta University are gearing up for another year of friendly competition as they Battle for the Paddle.

In 2017, student government leaders from both universities partnered up to create The Battle for the Paddle competition. Points are awarded to each school for every athletic match they win. At the end of the competition, whichever university has the most points, earns bragging rights for the next year as well as the symbolic paddle that represents the Savannah River which divides our universities.

The competition is a yearlong event. Augusta University held the paddle initially due to a coin toss in 2017. By the end of the 2018 academic year, however, USC Aiken won the paddle and all of the glory that accompanies it. USC Aiken led the competitive events with a record of 6-4.5.