MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Michael Garcia will get to hold on to his buckskin and rifle for the 2015-16 school year.
Last night at the men’s basketball game, where West Virginia defeated Texas 71-64, Garcia beat out Troy Clemons, Ethan Ball and Reed Andrews to be named the Mountaineer Mascot.
“I was definitely anxious about the whole process because I wanted to come back, but I was confident throughout the whole process,” Garcia said. “When I did the cheer-off, I was just doing everything I do during a normal basketball game and then compressing that into one half.”
He said he’s glad to be selected again because now he has a better understanding of what it means to be the Mountaineer.
“The Mountaineer is all of us. The Mountaineer is all of the 30,000 students on campus, and I try my best to represent everyone and be a part of everyone,” he said. “That’s a tough task to handle as the Mountaineer, but it’s one I take on every day.”
The Mountaineer must attend all football and men’s and women’s basketball home games, as well as any away games determined by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
For the days leading up to last night’s announcement, Garcia distracted himself by attending events as the Mountaineer and keeping up with his appearances. He said he “did what I know best…