LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell and UMass Athletic Departments have announced the formation of the Kennedy Cup Challenge.
 
The Kennedy Cup will be awarded annually to the team with the most wins in the cumulative head to head matchups between UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst. John Kennedy is a longtime fan and supporter of the UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst athletic programs. Kennedy holds degrees from both schools, Lowell Technological Institute ('70) and UMass Amherst ('76), with degrees in Mathematics (BS) and Accounting (MS), respectively. Kennedy also received an honorary degree from UMass Lowell in 2016.

"As a graduate of UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell I have strived to support the athletic departments of both campuses," said John Kennedy. "I am thrilled to see that there will be a significant expansion of the original Kennedy Cup concept started when the two campuses only played each other in field hockey.  Going forward I am hopeful that there will develop a great rivalry between the campus, but more importantly that both will benefit from a deeper and deeper relationship."

The idea originated with the River Hawk and Minutewomen Field Hockey programs playing for the trophy when UMass Lowell joined Division I in the fall of 2013. The River Hawks and Minutemen also competed for the Alumni Cup for 23 years in the sport of men's ice hockey. UMass Lowell won or retained the Cup in 17 of those 23 seasons.
 
"UMass Lowell is thrilled to enhance the Kennedy Cup Challenge on a larger scale involving a variety of sports sponsored by both institutions," said UMass Lowell Director of Athletics Peter Casey. "This new tradition is an appropriate representation of John's unwavering support and passion for both the River Hawks and Minutemen.  The Challenge will be a great way to get our coaches, student-athletes, and fans involved in the cross-state rivalry to honor John's continued support."

The teams will play a total of 14 events against each other during the 2018-19 season. Each team will receive one point for a win, the team with the most points at the end of the academic year will win the Kennedy Cup Challenge.

"We are incredibly excited to expand and formalize the Kennedy Cup Challenge with our fellow in-state rival UMass Lowell," said UMass Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford. "There is no greater supporter of both institutions than John and this will be a terrific way to celebrate his legacy each year as the rivalry continues to grow."

The UMass Lowell Men's Soccer team won (1-0) the inaugural game in the series on Friday, August 24th against the Minutemen in the season opener at Cushing Field Complex. The Minutemen placed higher in the New England Championship Cross Country meet, while the UMass Field Hockey team earned a 2-1 victory over the River Hawks on October 25th at Cushing Field Complex. UMass Amherst currently leads the Kennedy Cup Challenge series, 2-1.

The next contest between the two teams will be the Tuesday, November 6th matchup as the Minutemen host UMass Lowell Men's Basketball in the season opener at the Mullins Center (7:30 p.m.).