Harrisburg – March Madness has begun, and Mascot Madness is back too, with 13 hungry competitors looking to unseat “Avalanche,” the two-time champion who is looking to “three-peat.”
The friendly competition among the mascots at the 14 universities that comprise Pennsylvania’s
State System of Higher Education is in its third year. So far, none of the other mascots
has been able to knock off Avalanche, Kutztown University’s loveable golden bear,
although Slippery Rock’s “Rocky” came within a sliver a year ago.
This year’s competition officially begins March 21 with first-round action. The mascots
have been paired off using a random selection process. No favorites here, with the
defending champion not even getting a bye (those went to “MacCato,” Edinboro University’s
Fighting Scot mascot, and “Norm,” Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Crimson Hawk).
The first-round matchups will feature Millersville’s “Scully” vs. West Chester’s “Rammy”;
Slippery Rock’s “Rocky” vs. Bloomsburg’s “Roongo”; East Stroudsburg’s new mascot vs.
Mansfield’s “Mountie”; Lock Haven’s “Talon” vs. Shippensburg’s “Big Red”; Kutztown’s
“Avalanche” vs. California’s “Blaze”; and Clarion’s “Ernie” vs. Cheyney’s “Wolfie.”
The universities will promote the competition on their various social media outlets,
encouraging students, alumni and others to vote for their mascot using SurveyMonkey
polls, which will be open for 24 hours each round. The links to the polls will be
shared through the university’s email, websites and social media. The second round
will be held March 23; the third round, March 28; and the final round, April 3, the
same day as the NCAA Division I men’s basketball national championship game. Winners
of each round will move on to the next.
The ultimate winner, as in past years, will receive a trophy, special recognition
from the Office of the Chancellor, and, of course, bragging rights.
“Mascot Madness is an exciting way to bring visibility to our universities and to
allow our students, our alumni and the campus communities the opportunity to demonstrate
their pride in these outstanding institutions,” said State System Chancellor Frank
T. Brogan. “Let the competition begin!”
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, enrolling more than 100,000 degree-seeking students
and thousands more in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively,
the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and
certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System
university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana,
Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West
Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses
in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven),
and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University
Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.