Get To Know the Competitors in Mascot Madness 2018 – Region 1

The annual competition to decide who New York’s favorite mascot is back. This year, the tournament is back for its 6th edition and ready to keep on expanding to newer, bigger heights. 36 unique mascots are getting ready for Round 1, which kicks off on Tuesday, March 13. The schedule for the entire tournament is as follows, by round:

• Round 1: Tuesday, March 13 12:00 p.m. – Friday, March 16 4:00 p.m.
• Round 2: Monday, March 19 12:00 p.m. – Wednesday, March 21 4:00 p.m.
• Round 3: Thursday, March 22 12:00 p.m. – Monday, March 26 4:00 p.m.
• Final Four: Wednesday, March 28 12:00 p.m. – Friday, March 30 4:00 p.m.
• Finals: Monday, April 2 12:00 p.m. – Wednesday, April 4 1:00 p.m.

But to cast the right vote, you need to know these competitors and what makes them stand out. To help, we were able to gather these profiles to better introduce you to the great SUNY Mascots. Read on, in alphabetical order by school, to help make your choice:

Damien the Great Dane – University at Albany |  Baxter – Binghamton University  |  Red Baron – Corning  | Bronco – Delhi  | Reggie the Raider – Fulton-Montgomery | Victor E. Knight – Geneseo  | Tripp the Thunderwolf – Niagara County | Senator Sam – Ulster | Chester the Viking – Westchester

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   Damien the Great Dane – The University at Albany (UAlbany)
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   Men’s Lacrosse reaching #1 in the Nation!! First SUNY school to ever do it!!!
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   Definitely Homeland Security! Got to keep guard on the campus!!
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   The art of being a FAN! Got to teach students these days!!
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Coooooooooookie Crisp
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Definitely PEANUT BUTTER!!!
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   Watch the horses in Saratoga race in the summer! They are fun to chase around 😉
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   A Wi-Fi hot spot, a tablet to watch all UAlbany’s games stream live and a phone to chat with all my other mascot buddies.
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   Definitely leader of the Neighborhood Watch
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    I actually have some pretty serious allergies… But they’re mostly toward Stony Brook and Siena!!

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   My name is Baxter and I represent Binghamton University, the premier public university!
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   How much time do you have? Well, for the second consecutive season, Binghamton captured the America East regular-season softball championship. Women’s soccer claimed the regular season title this past fall. Oh, and women’s basketball player Imani Watkins recently scored her 2,000th point, making her only the second player in the program’s history to do so!
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   I’d major in Mascotting because I’m a world-renowned expert in that.
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   I’d teach a class called “Binghamton University is the Greatest University in the Galaxy” because people really need to know the facts. There’s too much misinformation out there.
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Wheaties, of course. The breakfast of champions!
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Spiedies. No, really, they blend in well, especially with vanilla. You won’t know until you try it.
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   Shovel snow.
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   A Binghamton hoodie, hat and pennant, which I would wear proudly, then use to construct a raft to help me return to shore and resume my mascotting duties.
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   Mascot, because I’d do this for free.
   
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    I’m not from Long Island.

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   I’m the Red Baron, but most of my friends just call me Baron. I’m of the brown bear species, writing to you from the enchanting hills of Corning, N.Y., where I represent my fellow mammals from our home at Corning Community College.
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   I have to say that the CCC women’s soccer takes the cake on this one when they won their first-ever Mid-State Athletic Conference crown!
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   This is an easy answer for me–I’d major in humanities and social science! I love learning about other cultures all over the world and engaging in different languages, especially because CCC has a diverse student body. Plus, CCC offers a Liberal Arts & Sciences Associates Degree in Humanities and Social Science 100% online, which works around my busy sports schedule!
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   I believe STEM degrees are a huge part of SUNY’s future, so I would want to teach Intro to Biology with a focus on chemistry and biology. I’d make the course hands-on so students would learn via experience. And, I would incorporate a sustainability segment into my lesson plan–that way my students would learn how to create a sustainable future.
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Honey Nut Cheerios. Why? Because I like to support local businesses and there is a General Mills plant not too far away in Buffalo, N.Y. Also because bears like honey.
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Chocolate covered espresso beans! They give me a nudge of energy to continue working hard.
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   Venturing 37 minutes from Corning Community College to visit Watkins Glen State Park to enjoy the natural New York beauty.
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   A basketball, a telescope, and a guitar
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   I would teach English as a second language.
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    I’m not very good at riding a bike … my long legs get in the way!

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   I’m Blaze, and the college I represent is the phenomenal SUNY Delhi, a great campus located in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   My favorite moment of this year is our athletic program moving to NCAA. Also, when our men’s basketball team defeated Berkeley College and ended their undefeated streak.
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   I would like to study Recreation and Sports Facilities management, since I love being around sports. Plus, I live in the Clark Field House, so I feel that my experience puts me at the head of the class.
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   I would like to study Recreation and Sports Facilities management, since I love being around sports. Plus, I live in the Clark Field House, so I feel that my experience puts me at the head of the class.
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   My favorite meal in the morning is Honey Bunches of OATS!!!
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   I would go with the works.
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   My favorite meal in the morning is Honey Bunches of OATS!!!
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   A basketball and hoop for exercise, William Nack’s book Secretariat to keep my mind sharp, and a lot of sunscreen for my nose.
9.  If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   If I was not the mascot for my college, I would take my talents to the Kentucky Derby. I am a peer athlete.
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    If I was not the mascot for my college, I would take my talents to the Kentucky Derby. I am a peer athlete.

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   Why I’m Reggie the Raider representing Fulton-Montgomery Community College!
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   Aye, there be so many!  But I would have to say the very close game our Raiders Men’s Basketball team had as the #8 seed in the Region 3 Championship contest.  We lost to Herkimer Generals 74-64. I don’t usually take me hats off to anyone, but I do take me hats off to those Generals. I be very proud of me Raiders though!!
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   Hands down it would be Brewery Operations!  Who wouldn’t want to learn how to make the finest ale to enjoy!?
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   Why it be the Age of Piracy!  I hear Arizona State teaches about Johnny Depp’s silly Jack Sparrow character… blimey!  I would teach them the History of Reggie the Raider!
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Why of course, Cap’n Crunch!
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Salty pretzels… they go good with me sundae and me ale!
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   I like to climb to the top of the FM Clock Tower, our iconic landmark on campus, and pretend I be King Kong!
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   Like the saying goes, “Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum”… but I be making that 3 bottles of rum!
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   Why I would be the Captain of a ship with me cousin Blackbeard!
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    Well nobody knows this but me patch does not cover a missing eye, I just like how cool it makes me look!

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   Victor E. Knight, the SUNY Geneseo Mascot.  SUNY Geneseo — Go Knights!
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   When Women’s Basketball won the 2018 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   Architecture, because I love the castles of  Ireland, Scotland, England and the Châteaus of France.
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   Medieval Studies-Because I am expert in Poetry and Cosmology in the Middle Ages
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Frosted Flakes, they’re GR-R-REAT!
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   New York’s finest Maple Syrup!
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   Exploring the “Grand Canyon of the East,” Letchworth State Park. It is one of the most picturesque areas in the Eastern U.S. with the mighty Genesee River and three major waterfalls.
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   A Hammock, Sunscreen, and a Lute.
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   Most likely a neurosurgeon.
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    I have webbed toes.

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   I’m Tripp the Thunderwolf, the mascot of Niagara County Community College. When the mist clears from Niagara Falls, you can spot me on campus in Sanborn, NY cheering our 10 teams to victory.
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   I was proud to support all of our teams this year, but Troy Keller’s victory at the NJCAA Wrestling National Championships had me howling in excitement! He is the NCCC Wrestling program’s fifth-ever National Champion, and a 2017 All American.
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   I already run the forest surrounding the campus, but NCCC has a degree in Animal Management that would solidify my role as king of my domain. NCCC’s Animal Management Program is one of only eight two-year zoo keeping-related degree programs in the United States!
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   After years of thundering success with the sports teams on campus, I would teach a class in Sport Management. When things get a little “hairy” in the gym or on a sports field, I know how to pump up the crowd and create a winning environment for students and fans at NCCC.
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   With the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute at NCCC, I pass over the cereal and go right for a freshly baked croissant handmade by the students at La Patisserie on campus.
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Nothing makes me wolf down a sundae faster than a sponge candy topping. Sponge candy is a local favorite in the region, and a delicious ice cream topping. There are plenty of chocolate makers right in Niagara County that make their own, so I don’t have to travel far from campus to get my fill.
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   My wolf pack and I like to go fishing in the Niagara Gorge. Scenic hiking trails along the mighty Niagara River lead down to the floor of the gorge, where we find whirlpools, rapids, and lots of fish. We can even see our Canadian neighbors on the other side of the river!
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   As a rabid sports fan, I would want to take my golf clubs to help practice for the spring season for the NCCC Thunderwolves golf team. I’d bring a soccer ball and volleyball to prepare for the fall season of Thunderwolves soccer and volleyball too.
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   If I wasn’t a mascot, I would definitely model in Sports Illustrated.  No other mascot looks better in their jersey or uniform than I do!
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    All of my clothes are custom-made. I have a hard time finding pants to accommodate my big, bad tail.  As much as I huff and puff, Macy’s just doesn’t carry my size.

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   My name is Senator Sam, and I proudly represent SUNY Ulster.
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   It’s hard to name just one. SUNY Ulster Athletics are a powerhouse!
   SUNY Ulster Men’s Basketball is in the Final Four of the Region XIX Basketball Championships! The Senators won a home-court victory clinching the Region XV DII title for the first time since the 1970s.
   Meanwhile Men’s Wrestling is competing at a national level. In February, five SUNY Ulster Wrestlers competed at the National Junior College Championships at Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   There are so many wonderful academic opportunities, but if I could boast about one program right now, it would be that SUNY Ulster is Listed in the Top 15 Most Affordable Online Colleges in the *nation* for an Associates Degree in Computer Science, according to OnlineU.
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   As a Senator, my first love is American History and Constitutional Studies. With Kingston as the first Capital of New York, the area is rich in U.S. History.  SUNY Ulster founded the “Institute for Constitutional Studies.” Its aim is to help college faculty, students, teachers, business leaders, the legal community, and the general public in the Mid-Hudson Valley deepen their understanding of the fundamental principles of the United States and the New York state constitutions, their history and their continuing relevance to current public policy debates.
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Who needs a box of cereal when you live in the The Hudson Valley? This area is a hotspot for agriculture. The most delicious breakfasts can include heart-healthy small batch granola with local honey, or some free range organic eggs. The Davenport Farm Stand is less than one mile from the Stone Ridge campus and is hard to resist for a hearty natural breakfast!
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Jane’s Ice Cream needs no toppings. The Ulster County-based creamery uses locally sourced ingredients to churn out artisanal frozen decadence!
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   Hiking, History, and Humanitarianism, Ulster County has it all!
   From world renowned rock climbing on the Shawangunk Ridge, and visiting Historic Huguenot Street or the Hudson River Maritime Museum, to the annual O+ Music and Wellness Festival, there’s no shortage of enriching activities.But before I plan any excursion, I always check the SUNY Ulster Special Events Calendar, there’s something going on for the community on campus nearly every week!
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   There are only 2 items I would need: A pen and paper.  Writing my thoughts, and life experiences would fill the time. As Sylvia Plath said, “let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   I would be happy to continue working in public office as a Senator!  My goal is to represent underserved populations and give a platform to those who deserve to be heard and helped.
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    Sam is not short for Samuel or Samantha.

1. What is your name and what school do you represent?
   My name is Chester the Viking, and I represent Westchester Community College. And yes, Westchester Community College was named after me.
2. What was your favorite athletics moment at school from the past year?
   There are so many to choose from, but it had to be the day I taught our men’s basketball team how to dunk. They played 26 games and were not outscored by a single opponent. I take all of the credit.
3. If you could major in any one subject at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   European History, of course! With a concentration on Scandinavia. This has to be the most popular major within the entire SUNY system. Without European History, I would not exist. Could you imagine what America would be without the Vikings?
4. If you could teach one class at SUNY, what would it be and why?
   A Non-Football History of the Viking. I think it is of vital importance to educate the masses about the impact of the Vikings in world culture, and how the long storied history and tradition of the Viking allowed me to be the Mascot I am today.
5. What is your favorite breakfast cereal to eat in the morning?
   Wheaties. Lots and lots of Wheaties. You don’t become as big and strong as me if you don’t eat your Wheaties!
6. What is your favorite topping to put on an ice cream or frozen yogurt sundae?
   Anything fish-related.
7. In your free time, what is your favorite NY activity to do?
   Like any good Viking, I like to perform tests of strength. I believe New Yorkers call it, “Going to the Gym.” I also like to ski in upstate New York during the winter-time. And, being a Viking, every chance I get to head out on a boat and explore, I do it. That’s why I love being so close to the Hudson River and New York Harbor.
8. What 3 items would you take to a desert island to help pass the time?
   1 – My Skeggöx. I don’t leave home without it. 2 – My iPad. I never miss an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and The Notebook is finally on Netflix. 3 – My stuffed cat, ‘Skol.’ I cannot sleep without wrapping myself around him.
9. If you weren’t a mascot for your school, what job would you have?
   I would replace Dean Winters as the Mr. Mayhem in All-State Commercials.
10. Tell us one secret people would be surprised to know about you.
    I am internationally renowned as a Beatbox artist, and recently performed a rap-duet with Westchester Community College President Dr. Belinda Miles.