Nothin’ But A “T” Thang: New Trophy Ignites EvCC/EdCC Rivalry
Less than 17 miles lay between the campuses of Everett Community College and Edmonds Community College. The requited history of their rivalry in the North division of the Northwest Athletic Conference goes back more than 50 years. While the two schools have long battled for bragging rights, this year marks the first time there’s physical evidence of collegiate sport supremacy in Snohomish County with the debut of the “T” Trophy.
The hardware // Courtesy Simon Krane
Aptly named for the shared first letter of their respective mascots— the Everett Trojans and the Edmonds Tritons— the “T” Trophy will be awarded to the school with the most combined victories throughout their 20-game match up across seven sports during the academic year. The inception of the trophy came about when the athletic directors for each school—Garet Studer of Everett and Spencer Stark of Edmonds—wanted to create more excitement around the rivalry.
“We are definitely all looking forward to etching our name on that trophy first.”
“We wanted to put a stamp on the rivalry to make it official,” said Studer, who is in his third year as athletic director at Everett. “Spencer and I decided to put something tangible to it after looking at the recent history of our teams because they’ve been really competitive.”
Last year’s contests between the two schools resulted in Everett edging out Edmonds with a final tally of 11-9. With dominating performances from the likes of the undefeated Edmonds Volleyball team this past fall season, and Everett Men’s Basketball—who look poised to make a run for their first conference championship in the NWAC era—this year is sure to be another photo finish between the two schools.
The EvCC men’s basketball team, who went undefeated during the 2018-19 season // Courtesy Everett Community College
In addition to the obvious reward that comes with winning a title, the true measure of success for the “T” Trophy will be its potential for each school to unite their athletic programs with their individual communities—both on campus and beyond.
Everett’s athletic department has worked to build greater social outreach through activities such as getting athletes involved in various student support programs around campus and running youth sports clinics to train future Trojan athlete hopefuls.
Everett’s Morgan Marshall (10) goes up for a shot against Edmonds’ Analiyah Matthews (31) at the Walt Price Fitness Center // Courtesy Simon Krane
“We want to be apart of what’s going on around us,” said Studer. “If we want people to come to our games and events, we have to be supportive in our community as well.”
The painstaking effort taken to engage their community outside the lines has proved to be successful for the Everett athletic department, which has seen an increase in support, especially among their athletes, who are showing up to cheer on their fellow Trojans at various sporting events.
“I tell our team it’s important to support other the teams,” said Everett Women’s Basketball Head Coach Chet Hovde. “Because it helps knowing that a win for them is a win that helps upkeep the trophy.”
Making an appearance at every Everett/Edmonds matchup this season, the “T” Trophy is currently on display at Seaview Gymnasium in Edmonds, where it has been since the Trojans beat the Tritons in men’s basketball earlier this month. It will return to Everett twice more this spring when both the softball and baseball teams host doubleheaders against the Tritons in April and May, respectively.
With Edmonds currently in the lead with a score of 7-5, the upcoming spring season will decide the final home of the first-year trophy. Studer is confident the “T” Trophy will spend its inaugural season nestled safely within the confines of the Walt Price Student Fitness Center, where Trojan fans and athletes alike can revel in the glory of their combined success from this season.
“We are definitely all looking forward to etching our name on that trophy first.”
NWAC Basketball Championships
March 7-8 & 16-17
EvCC Walt Price Fitness Center
2206 Tower St
Everett, WA 98201
Nick has a professional background rich in digital marketing and media. His work has appeared in The Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The New York Post, and on MSN.com, among others. He has a graduate degree in journalism from Syracuse University, as well as creative writing and philosophy degrees from Seattle University. He grew up in Woodinville and spends his free time playing and coaching baseball, running half marathons, and seeing as much live music as possible.
