Dog o' Day
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North Central Michigan College now the Timberwolves

By Wesley Coburn

KEENESBURG, CO - OCTOBER 20: A rescued timberline wolf howls at The Wild Animal Sanctuary on October 20, 2011 in Keenesburg, Colorado. The non-profit sanctuary is a 720 acre refuge for large carnivores that have been confiscated from illegal or abusive situations and is currently home to over 290 lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other animals. It is the oldest and largest carnivore sanctuary in the United States, having been in operation since 1980. On Tuesday the owner of a private 73 acre animal reserve in Zanesville, Ohio set loose 56 animals, mostly large carnivores, before shooting himself. Of the animals that fled, 49 were hunted down and killed by sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
KEENESBURG, CO - OCTOBER 20: A rescued timberline wolf howls at The Wild Animal Sanctuary on October 20, 2011 in Keenesburg, Colorado. The non-profit sanctuary is a 720 acre refuge for large carnivores that have been confiscated from illegal or abusive situations and is currently home to over 290 lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other animals. It is the oldest and largest carnivore sanctuary in the United States, having been in operation since 1980. On Tuesday the owner of a private 73 acre animal reserve in Zanesville, Ohio set loose 56 animals, mostly large carnivores, before shooting himself. Of the animals that fled, 49 were hunted down and killed by sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) /
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North Central Michigan College now has a mascot for the first time in the school’s history, as they will now be known as the Timberwolves thanks to approval from the Board of Trustees on Tuesday, April 27, as the final step of a process that has taken several years in the making.

The community college based in Petoskey, Michigan, (with satellite campuses in Cheboygan and Gaylord) is located on the very northern tip of the Lower Peninsula, and has recently begun adding sports teams.

Currently, the North Central Michigan Timberwolves compete in men’s and women’s cross country, a co-ed ski and snowboard team, and an esports program, which usually compete in video games like the shooter Overwatch or the soccer/racing hybrid Rocket League.

According to a press release posted on the school website, an initial field of eight mascots were nominated in a survey distributed to students, faculty, staff, alumni and board members, in addition to community members. This was narrowed down to a field of three finalists, which were voted on solely by alumni.

The final three options were Timberwolves, Bobcats and Ferrets, though Raptors also got votes somehow; it is unclear where this was referring to dinosaurs (like Jurassic Park) or the class of predatory birds to which eagles and hawks belong.

“The 2021 graduating class is already quite invested in this mascot,” NCMC marketing specialist Michelle Hoogerhyde told local newspaper the Petoskey News-Review. “They’re the ones who participated in all the surveys and made the ultimate decision of what the mascot was going to be. So giving them the mascot now will help build their loyalty and connection as alumni. It’s also a nice little nod for graduation.

According to the image of the logo in the News-Review story, the team colors will be primarily blue (both an ice blue and royal blue shade) and yellow-gold, with white, silver and black elements as trim.

Timberwolves received 45 percent of the vote in the final survey, while Ferrets, based on an unofficial faculty-created intramural mascot that’s been around since the 1970s, received a very respectable 21 percent.

“Timberwolves are known for their teamwork and being part of a pack, which melds nicely with our goals for the future of intercollegiate athletics at North Central,” NCMC athletic director Ashley Antonishen said in a press release.

A physical mascot costume will be introduced over the summer, with more details to be announced in the future.

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There are quite a few canine mascots scattered across the NCAA, NJCAA and NAIA college sports landscape, so the North Central Michigan Timberwolves will be in good company.

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