Jan. 23, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- - There's a new rivalry in Jacksonville - the SunTrust River City Rumble.

The SunTrust River City Rumble is a season-long series between Jacksonville's two Division I institutions - Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida.

The rivalry begins with a bang on Wednesday night when the Dolphins travel cross-town to face the Ospreys in men's basketball at UNF Arena.

While the rivalry officially begins this week with the men's basketball game, the SunTrust River City Rumble has been developed to foster a rivalry between the two schools in all sports.

"We've looked forward to cultivating a great cross town rivalry, in all sports, with Jacksonville University," said UNF athletics director Dr. Richard Gropper. "The creation of the River City Rumble, with the support of SunTrust Bank, will serve to build excitement and community support for both universities."

Starting with the 2005-06 season, Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida will be battling for the "SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel," which will be awarded to the school with the most victories over the other during the year.

"With the creation of the River City Rumble and the addition of SunTrust as the title sponsor, the rivalry between Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida is set to take off," said JU athletics director Alan Verlander. "We are excited about the creation of the trophy and look forward to having a spirited rivalry for years to come."

The "SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel" will be housed in the winning school's athletic department until the conclusion of the final event of the following year.

How it works...

Jacksonville and North Florida both field teams in 12 sports (men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis and men's golf).

Each time the Dolphins and Ospreys face each other, the game will count toward the River City Rumble standings. The exception is individual sports (i.e. cross country and golf) where the team that finishes higher at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship will earn one win for its school.

For the 2005-06 school year, the teams are tentatively scheduled to face each other 18 times. To claim the "SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel," one of the schools would have to win 10 events.

Here's the breakdown of the number of competitions between the two schools during the school year:

3 - baseball

2 - softball, volleyball, men's and women's basketball,

1 - men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's tennis

The school with most wins will receive the "SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel" at the end of the year. In the event of a tie this year, the "SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel" will go to the school that has a higher finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference all-sports standings. In ensuing years, any tie in the standings will keep the trophy at the previous year's winner.