University Southern California Trojans
2003 Lexus Gauntlet Trophy Could Be Decided This Weekend
April 25, 2003 | USC Athletics
April 25, 2003
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The battle for the second annual Lexus Gauntlet trophy-a season-long all-sports competition between USC and UCLA-could be decided as early as this weekend.
Currently, USC leads UCLA by a 50-35 point margin, with the Lexus Gauntlet trophy winner needing 57.5 points to clinch the victory outright. If both schools end up with 55 points, a tiebreaker is implemented based on head-to-head regular season meetings in all sports.
Women's golf will wrap up the final day of play at the Pac-10 Championships in Corvallis, Ore., this Saturday, April 26 The team that finishes above the other will earn five points. Also on Saturday, the men's and women's track & field teams face each other in the 70th annual dual meet at USC's Loker Stadium. The winner of each of the meets will earn five points.
If USC wins two of three events on Saturday, the Trojans will clinch their second-consecutive Lexus Gauntlet trophy with 60 points. If UCLA sweeps all three events, the Bruins will knot the score at 50 points apiece. If USC wins only one of the three events, the competition could be decided next week with the Trojans needing only one more victory to clinch.
There are also potential points at stake if USC and UCLA meet in women's water polo this weekend at the MPSF Championships. USC could win back 2.5 points if the Trojans beat the Bruins. If that is the case, USC would need just one more victory to clinch the trophy.
Five men's golf points are at stake with the upcoming Pac-10 Championships taking place April 28-30 at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale. Five points will also be awarded when women's rowing meets on Saturday, May 3, in a dual race at Ballona Creek in Marina del Rey. The teams will race three boats and the overall race winner will be determined by a point system similar to the one used at the Pac-10 Championships.
The Trojans and Bruins compete against each other in 18 sports. Five points are awarded to the winner of the each sport's season series or, for those sports that don't meet head-to-head, the team that places higher in the conference championship (10 points are awarded in football, men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball).
The Southern California Lexus Dealer Association is the title sponsor of every USC-UCLA athletic competition. This is the first time the two universities have partnered with a corporate entity for complete rivalry sponsorship. In the fall of 2001, the schools signed a four-year contract of undisclosed terms with Lexus, America's best-selling luxury automotive manufacturer. USC captured the inaugural trophy in 2002.
For recaps of the year-long competition visit www.gauntlettrophy.com.
