http://miac-online.org/news/2012/2/15/GEN_0215123611.aspx

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) 2011-12 winter regular seasons are coming to a close and the 2012 MIAC Winter Championships are on the horizon and, this year, the teams that claim the titles will be holding up a new piece of hardware in celebration of their achievement.

This season the MIAC regular season and Championship trophy has received a facelift in an effort to provide both a sleek new update to the conference's top team trophy, and to distinguish the regular season and Championship trophy from the one presented to the MIAC Playoff champions.

The new MIAC championship trophy has a simple, classy look, with a full-color fiberglass cutout of the league's "state" logo raised off of a shiny black wooden backing. The word "Champions" adorns the bottom of the state logo, and there is space for a customizable engraved plaque for the winning team to recognize its players and coaches, as well as include any other pertinent information.

"We're excited to debut the new MIAC regular season and Championship trophy this winter," said MIAC Executive Director Dan McKane. "At the conference level, we really value our regular season and team championships because of the outstanding quality of competition across our 13 member schools. We think the new trophy will look great in postgame celebrations, team photos and in our school's trophy cases for years to come."

Previously, the MIAC regular season and Championship trophy was slightly larger but nearly identical to the MIAC Playoff trophy. Going with a new style will distinguish between the two and - in the event a team wins both titles in a given year - will allow them to celebrate with and display two unique trophies to represent their separate significant achievements.

The MIAC developed the new trophy with Jerry Phillips and Tag Up - an athletic awards and marketing company in Fergus Falls, Minn. The MIAC governance structure approved the change in December, in time for the new trophies to make their debut for the 2011-12 winter season.

The first of the new MIAC trophies was presented last weekend to the St. Thomas women's basketball team Saturday after they clinched the 2011-12 MIAC women's basketball regular season championship. The St. Thomas men's hockey team has also locked up the MIAC title and will receive theirs this weekend at their final home game of the regular season. The Gustavus women's hockey team has clinched at least a share of the 2011-12 championship as well, while men's basketball will be decided this week.

The new trophies will also be presented to the winners of the 2012 MIAC Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, which will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, as well as the victors at the 2012 MIAC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships at Macalester College, which will take place March 1-3. In the event of any co-championships, all teams included will receive a trophy per MIAC policy.