First Round - Avalanche (Kutztown) def. Blaze (California), 78.9%-21.1%
Second Round - Avalanche (Kutztown) def. Ernie (Clarion), 65.1%-34.9%
Final Four - Norm (IUP) def. Avalanche (Kutztown), 58.2%-41.8%
#VoteAvalanche
2017 marks the third year of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's (PASSHE) Mascot Madness, a social media contest to determine the best mascot in the State System.
Kutztown University's mascot, Avalanche, is a two-time Mascot Madness Champion, having won the inaugural championship in 2015 and successfully defending his title in 2016.
This year's bracket has been released, with Avalanche set to begin his defense against California University's, Blaze.
A few notes for this year's Mascot Madness:
- Each round will consist of one, 24-hour voting period, beginning at 8 a.m.
- The 24-hour polls will open on Survey Monkey web polls, managed by the State System
The first round begins on Tuesday, March 21 at 8 a.m. Voting for the first round will close on Wednesday, March 22 at 8 a.m. The timeline for the four rounds of competition, ending with the championship on Monday, April 3, the same day as the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship game, can be found below:
- Round 1—March 21
- Round 2—March 23
- Round 3—March 28
- Championship—April 3
SPREAD THE WORD: Use the hashtag
#VoteAvalanche to spread the word and help our favorite Golden Bear advance to the next round. All universities are encouraged to use the official hashtag of the tournament,
#MascotMadness.
History of Avalanche, the Golden Bear
Kutztown University adopted Avalanche the Golden Bear when he was delivered to the President's doorstep. He was in a wooden box that was shipped from the mountains of Northern Berks County. The box was opened at Kutztown's Family Day football game, October 1, 2005. He is named in honor of the Golden Avalanche nickname used by Kutztown sports teams from the 1930s through the 1960s. Since 1961, Kutztown's sports teams have been known as the Golden Bears, so our mascot blends the history of KU's nicknames into one.
Avalanche was created in conjunction with the Raymond Entertainment Group (REG), a company based out of Newark, Del., specializing in creating mascot characters. The CEO of REG is David Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic. Avalanche is portrayed by KU students. The university carefully selects some outstanding KU students who volunteer for the mascot team.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AVALANCHE: Official website:
http://www.kutztown.edu/Avalanche
