FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2003
Contact: Dwayne Hanberry, SCAC Assistant Commissioner, Communications

TRINITY UNIVERSITY WINS 2002-03 PRESIDENT'S TROPHY;
TIGERS CLAIM NINTH ALL-SPORTS TITLE IN 10 YEARS 

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - With titles in men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track and field, Trinity University clinched the 2002-03 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference President's Trophy - the program's ninth "all-sports" trophy in 10 years.

A bell, donated by the Norfolk and Western Railroad, was adopted as the conference's "President's Trophy" and serves as the symbol for the conference. This bell is displayed for one year on the campus of the school with the combined men's and women's athletics program that accumulates the highest number of points towards the all-sports trophy.

Trinity entered the 2003 SCAC Spring Sports Festival with a 22.5 points lead over second-place DePauw University. And after claiming half of the eight championships that were decided this past weekend in Terre Haute, Ind., at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology - this year's SSF site - the Texas Tigers widened their final margin to 42.5. 

The track and field titles were the fourth for both the men's and women's program and first since the TU Tigers swept both titles in 1999. Trinity has won or shared every SCAC women's tennis title since the league began to sponsor the sport in 1992 (12 consecutive championships), and the men have won or shared every title over that same span with the exception of 1993 when the University of the South-Sewanee claimed the title.

DePauw claimed one championship over the weekend in women's golf (its second-consecutive championship in that sport) and had second-place finishes in men's track and field and both men's and women's tennis.

Also winning championships over the weekend was Millsaps College, which won titles in both baseball and softball. It was the Majors' first conference baseball title since 1994 and sixth overall. The Majors' title run in softball was the first-ever championship for the program - ending Trinity's string of four-consecutive championships in the sport.

On the links, Oglethorpe University claimed its fourth-consecutive men's golf championship and fifth in the last six years.

In championships decided this past fall and winter, Trinity won titles in men's and women's basketball, football, men's and women's soccer and volleyball. Also claiming 2002-03 fall and winter championships were DePauw, which won the men's cross country title and both the men's and women's swimming and diving championships, and Rhodes College, which won the women's cross country championship.

In winning the 2002-03 SCAC Presidents' Trophy, Trinity amassed 807.5 points to defeat second-place DePauw, which finished with 765 points.

Following in the standings was Sewanee with 562.5 points, Centre College with 542.5, and Rhodes in fifth at 512.5.

Finishing in sixth-place was Southwestern University with 462.5, followed by Rose-Hulman with 347.5 points. Hendrix College was eighth with 327.5 points, Millsaps was next with 290 points, and Oglethorpe finished 10th with 212.5 points.