MCC Daily Tribune
Chancellor King Announces Winner of SUNY's Annual Mascot Madness Tournament
Red From SUNY Oneonta Won the Title of New York’s Favorite Mascot
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced the winner of SUNY’s annual Mascot Madness competition, celebrating Red from SUNY Oneonta for winning the esteemed title of New York’s favorite mascot and SUNY Mascot Ambassador, edging out Ellsworth from SUNY Brockport in the final round of voting. The 2026 SUNY Mascot Madness kicked off on March 10, with 38 participating SUNY campuses and mascots, and more than 310,000 votes cast throughout the five rounds of intense competition.
“There were some fierce competitors for this year’s Mascot Madness tournament, but in the end Red, representing SUNY Oneonta, proved to be New York’s favorite,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Mascot Madness is an opportunity to showcase SUNY pride and to win over New Yorkers throughout the voting process, and 2026 was our best year yet. New Yorkers throughout the state cast ballots to support their SUNY campuses, and I also want to applaud the SUNY Oswego broadcast team of students for showcasing their sports journalism skills by keeping our Mascot Madness fans updated throughout the tournament.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “SUNY’s Mascot Madness tournament brings together our campuses and communities throughout the state to showcase their SUNY pride and school spirit through a fun competition. We thank all of our campuses for their unique efforts to promote their mascots and bring in votes, and we congratulate Red representing SUNY Oneonta for earning New Yorkers’ votes to serve as SUNY’s Mascot Ambassador for the coming year.”
Now in its thirteenth year, SUNY Mascot Madness is a statewide event that offers SUNY campuses and their surrounding communities the opportunity to showcase school pride and come up with innovative ways to win over votes. This year, Mascot Madness featured 38 competitors, and the month-long competition drew in more than 310,000 of votes across all of the rounds. This year’s winner, Red from SUNY Oneonta overcame Ellsworth from SUNY Brockport in the final of five rounds of voting, and will succeed the 2025 winner, Damien the Great Dane from the State University of New York at Albany as the coming year’s SUNY Mascot Ambassador. The annual competition is part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to help showcase the great sports programs and student experiences available on campuses throughout New York State.
SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle said, “As the amazing turnout in voting can attest - Red is beloved here on our campus and by our alumni across the country. I am in awe of the overwhelming turnout in voters for Red and SUNY Oneonta in this intense competition. This win for Red exemplifies the unique authentic connection our students, alumni, and community establish while living and studying at Oneonta. We look forward to celebrating this victory together.”
SUNY Brockport President Heidi Macpherson said, “Mascot Madness has become such a wonderful tradition across the SUNY system and on the SUNY Brockport campus. I’d like to thank our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members for the incredible engagement they demonstrated throughout the competition. It was gratifying to see such tremendous school spirit exhibited these last few weeks. Congratulations to Red and everyone at SUNY Oneonta on a well-earned victory. It was truly impressive. And finally, thank you to SUNY for once again organizing such a fun and spirited competition.”
SUNY offers athletic opportunities for students at all levels of competition at 56 campuses. Statewide, SUNY has over 85 NCAA Division I, 290 NCAA Division III, and 385 NJCAA athletic teams, as well as hundreds of non-competitive athletic clubs. SUNY also has one of the oldest small college athletic conferences in the United States, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), consisting of 10 full members and 10 associate members competing in the conference. Recently, Chancellor King attended a lacrosse game between SUNY Cortland and SUNY Potsdam, as well as a basketball game between the State University of New York at Albany and the State University of New York at Binghamton in January to help promote the healthy rivalry and showcase the exciting sports games available for New Yorkers to attend and enjoy.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
04/03/2026