Mercy Unveils New Mascot
Sean Faye
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Maverick Sports
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With a new semester at Mercy College comes a new school mascot, and student-athletes have reacted with mixed reviews.
For years, Mercy College athletic teams were known as the "Flyers", but after years of sub-par seasons, former Athletic Director Kevin McGuinniss felt it was time to implement a change.
A call was made to all members of the Mercy College community to submit new mascot names as part a collaborative effort to transition to a more successful athletic program. Over 200 entries were submitted, with finalist submissions including River Dogs, Wildcats, River Hawks, and Cougars, before a committee decided on "Mavericks."
"A maverick is someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action. A maverick is a leader," said McGuinniss. "The nickname 'Mavericks' truly embodies the spirit of Mercy College and Mercy College athletics. It's a nickname that the entire Mercy community can be proud of and rally around."
T.K. Bent, a junior and softball player, echoed McGuinniss' sentiments, adding, "We're making the transition toward more competitive teams."
Freshman baseball player Graig Lauriella also agreed, saying, "It's a good change. It's a better name-more catchy."
However, not all student-athletes were as thrilled. Vince Jordan, a junior basketball player, said, "They could have chosen a better name, because "Mavericks" doesn't really fit." He continued to state that he "didn't like the mascot either."
Other sports teams that use the Mavericks are the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, NCAA's Minnesota State University Mavericks, and the Toronto Mavericks, a Canadian paintball team.
For years, Mercy College athletic teams were known as the "Flyers", but after years of sub-par seasons, former Athletic Director Kevin McGuinniss felt it was time to implement a change.
A call was made to all members of the Mercy College community to submit new mascot names as part a collaborative effort to transition to a more successful athletic program. Over 200 entries were submitted, with finalist submissions including River Dogs, Wildcats, River Hawks, and Cougars, before a committee decided on "Mavericks."
"A maverick is someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action. A maverick is a leader," said McGuinniss. "The nickname 'Mavericks' truly embodies the spirit of Mercy College and Mercy College athletics. It's a nickname that the entire Mercy community can be proud of and rally around."
T.K. Bent, a junior and softball player, echoed McGuinniss' sentiments, adding, "We're making the transition toward more competitive teams."
Freshman baseball player Graig Lauriella also agreed, saying, "It's a good change. It's a better name-more catchy."
However, not all student-athletes were as thrilled. Vince Jordan, a junior basketball player, said, "They could have chosen a better name, because "Mavericks" doesn't really fit." He continued to state that he "didn't like the mascot either."
Other sports teams that use the Mavericks are the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, NCAA's Minnesota State University Mavericks, and the Toronto Mavericks, a Canadian paintball team.
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