The Catholic University of America Cardinals in Washington beat out Arlington’s Marymount Saints in the inaugural Pope’s Cup, receiving a trophy from Bishop Michael F. Burbidge at a ceremony hosted by the diocese last month.
“We are grateful to Bishop Burbidge for his support and for hosting the inaugural ceremony of the Pope’s Cup,” said John Garvey, president of Catholic U. “We have raised the stakes for future athletic competitions with Marymount. We look forward to many good games in future years, but most importantly, to a strengthening of ties between the two institutions.”
Similar to the Army vs. Navy “Star Series” and other athletic department rivalries across the country, the two universities’ sports teams contribute points toward their institution through various sporting events.
“The Pope’s Cup competition between Marymount and Catholic University provides a great opportunity for the two of us to build a new athletic tradition which encourages alumni participation for us both,” said Irma Becerra, president of Marymount.
Students, alumni, family and friends are encouraged to attend Pope’s Cup rivalry games and root on their favorite teams as they look to help their university win the trophy.
“I am delighted to see our two great area Catholic universities, Marymount University and The
Catholic University of America, engaged in this activity,” Bishop Burbidge said. “The Pope’s Cup celebrates the fine athletic traditions of these wonderful educational institutions and will be a welcome annual competition.”
Both athletic programs have had a successful 2021-22 year. In addition to having four teams win conference championships (men’s soccer, men’s swimming, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse), Catholic U. had nine programs represented at the NCAA championships. The Cardinals also had six Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete selections.
On the other side of the rivalry, Marymount’s men’s volleyball qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history while the women’s golf won its second straight Centennial Conference title and appeared at the NCAA championships. In its first full season as a program, men’s tennis won the Atlantic East title. The Saints also earned six Atlantic East Elite 20 Awards for individuals holding the highest GPA at the conference championship.
Read the original article on the Arlington Catholic Herald’s website.
