After conducting an online survey and hosting numerous mascot steering committee meetings, the University of South Carolina Beaufort has announced that the new university mascot will be the Sand Sharks. The official colors will be navy blue, sand, and garnet.
The new mascot and colors will serve as symbols of pride, spirit, and identity for USC Beaufort's new intercollegiate athletics program and for the University as a whole.
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The sand shark consists of several different species of the genus Odontaspis or Carcharias. Sand sharks are typically found in shallow water, usually at or near the bottom, along tropical and temperate ocean coastlines. Known for their voracious appetite, sand sharks eat a wide range of fish as well as lobster, crab, and squid. They can grow up to 10 feet long.
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The Sand Sharks mascot is entirely unique among higher education institutions in the United States. One university in Florida uses the Sharks as their mascot, but USC Beaufort will be the nation's first university to use the Sand Sharks as its mascot.
"It is with great pride that we announce the USC Beaufort Sand Sharks as our mascot," said Jane T. Upshaw, chancellor. "This is a major step forward for the university and for our intercollegiate athletics program. Thank you to our mascot steering committee for their hard work and their leadership. They have decided upon a mascot that we can all be proud to support."
USC Beaufort invited the public to submit mascot suggestions and to provide mascot feedback through an online survey earlier this year. The University received 282 responses, which offered a wide range of opinions about potential mascots and colors. Respondents offered 139 different options for mascots, most of which have some association with the area's history or ecology.
The character of the new athletic image was strongly felt to be "proud" (54 percent) with "aggressive" (39 percent), "tough" (36 percent), and "active" (35 percent) as close seconds.
"Our dedicated steering committee narrowed the responses we received from the public down to the Sand Sharks, which is truly an outstanding choice," said Kim Abbott, director of athletics. "I have every confidence that the Sand Sharks will be fierce and capable competitors. We had a lot of great options to choose from, but this mascot and these colors really capture the spirit of the University and the coastal area."
The University's next step is to work with a professional design team to come up with initial design concepts that will be reviewed with focus groups consisting of students and other university groups. The official Sand Sharks mascot design will be unveiled this fall.
In March of 2007, USC Beaufort announced that intercollegiate athletics will begin in the Fall 2007, under the auspices of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). As a NAIA member, USCB will join 300 member colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada in a shared commitment to academics and athletics. NAIA's mission is to promote the education and development of well-rounded productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics.
Golf season will officially kick off this fall, with championships held in the spring. The opening meet for USC Beaufort Men's and Women's Cross Country Team will be held August 31 at the South Carolina Gamecock Invitational in Columbia.
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