Purdue, Indiana to vie for
annual award
By Paul Trembacki
Sports
Editor
Purdue and Indiana have gone from having just two
games per year involving a traveling trophy to more than 18.
Beginning this year, Purdue and Indiana will compete
for an annual award called The Titan Series; the school with the most
success against the other in all 18 NCAA Division I-A sports will win
it.
A trophy has not yet been designed or named, but
it will stay at the victorious school for a year, just as the Old Oaken
Bucket and Monon Spike trophies in football and volleyball, respectively,
do.
"This sounds like a good idea," said Roger Blalock,
associate athletic director at Purdue. "Any of these types of recognition
are tremendous incentives for those who compete in these games.
"It builds fan support and it's something the kids
look forward to."
Blalock, who performs administrative duties for
14 of Purdue's 18 sports, said everyone knows the rivalry between Purdue
and Indiana in everything, including sports, has always been intense
and that it always motivates the athletes involved in the competitions.
"To have an award to further highlight that is
a plus," Blalock said.
The Old Oaken Bucket and Monon Spike, which will
continue to be rewarded each year, are the only traveling trophies that
Purdue and Indiana shared before the Titan Series award was established.
The winner of the Titan Series will be determined
using a point system. Each of the 18 sports will get one point, with
the winning school earning that point. In case of a tie in sports such
as cross country or track and field, or an equal amount of wins, in
the case of volleyball, baseball or basketball, a half point will be
rewarded to each school.
If for some reason Purdue and Indiana don't meet
in a given sport during the regular season, the point for that sport
would go to the team that finishes higher in the Big Ten Conference
tournament.
There has been no word on what would happen if
the schools were to tie at nine.
|
