Systems and methods (“utility”) for sorting a plurality of complex objects are provided herein. The utility may include a sorting algorithm that sorts references to the complex objects, rather than the complex objects themselves, such that the need to copy and swap complex objects in their locations in memory is reduced. Further, the sorting algorithm may utilize a recursive divide and conquer process, using multiple pivot elements at each sorting level. For example, the sorting algorithm is based on a modified Quicksort algorithm that uses multiple pivot elements at each level to sort an array of references that point to complex objects.