January 5, 2011

Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) were declared the winners of the adidas University Challenge last month after joining forces to compete in the online bracket-style competition, which took place between 19 Canadian universities and colleges who are athletic partners of the popular sporting goods brand.

The contest saw students, faculty, staff and alumni from each school vote for their favourite post-secondary institution online with the school with the most votes as a percentage of its student population named the winner.

After besting the University of Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, B.C.; Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C.; McGill University in Montreal, Que.; and the University of Regina in Regina, Sask. in four rounds of voting, Durham College and UOIT were named the joint winner of the challenge on December 28.

Together the schools will share a prize of $25,000 between their respective athletic departments, which both operate under the guidance of Ken Babcock, athletic director. While the departments share state-of-the-art facilities, they maintain separate teams and traditions and represent two distinctly different varsity sport programs.

Varsity athletics at Durham College has a storied history with the Durham Lords (Lords) winning 91 provincial medals, ranking third all-time for medals won, over the past 37 years. The college’s Athletic department has also helped to produce a record 27 Ontario College Athletics Association (OCAA) All-Academic Award winners. Currently the department supports 11 varsity teams covering six different sports.

Similarly, varsity sports at UOIT have played an important role in the school’s short history. Founded in 2006, the UOIT Ridgebacks currently field eight varsity teams including men’s and women’s rowing, tennis and hockey; men’s soccer ; and competitive dance.

For more information on the Lords, please visit www.durhamlords.com.