It all started with the golf team’s triumph in mid October.  A couple days later, the water polo team avenged an earlier loss to Penn Charter.  The next day, cross country dominated at Belmont Plateau.  Now the football team can be added to this list after its shootout victory over Springside Chestnut Hill.

What do these four teams have in common? An Inter Ac championship.

The golf and cross country teams won outright titles, while the water polo and football teams shared their trophies with Penn Charter and Haverford respectively.

Overall, the athletics program has gone four for five on championships this fall.

When asked if he had seen this kind of success in the fall season, Mr. Ruch, the athletic director, responded, ”Not in my eleven years.  I do not remember us winning four championships.”

But these championships aren’t just for pride.  A bigger one is at stake: the Heyward Cup.

The Heyward Cup is awarded not to a team, but to an Inter-Ac school.  The Cup is decided on an overall point system based on the school’s performance in the fall, winter, and spring athletic seasons.

Most sports (golf, football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse etc.) include all six Inter Ac schools in their division.  In order from first to sixth, the points are 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

In the result of a tie, like what happened in football, the top two teams take the average of the first and second place points.  For example, Malvern and Haverford shared the Inter Ac title, and thus each received 6 points for their schools.  Though there can be ties for any place, and the same formula would used.

Since there are only five teams in the water polo division, the points go 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.

And every point counts.

“One year we only won it by three quarters of a point.  Those half points make a huge difference.  Last year, Haverford only beat us by a point and a half” said Ruch.

Ruch went on to say that one year Malvern lost a baseball game at the end of a season allowing Haverford to move up one spot and earn a full point.  Though the baseball team won the league, that one point was crucial to Haverford’s Heyward Cup victory.

So, has Malvern run away with it in the fall already?  It’s too early to tell, but Ruch continued saying that the success this fall is unparalleled.

“One year we had a total of seven championships.  So we have a chance to break that.  Swimming and wrestling are going to have really good years.  Baseball, lacrosse, track should have real good years.  So there’s a chance to get nine there.  I would say that would be unheard of.”

The foundation has been set by the fall teams, and hopefully their success inspire the winter and spring teams.  But it’s not all about championships.  Each team has to play to its full potential.

Because every point counts.