It all started six weeks ago, with 64 of the nation’s top mascots in the 3rd Annual College Court Report Mascot Mayhem Challenge.

This week, it came down to the final two. Boomer, representing the Missouri State Bears in the Missouri Valley Conference, was up against a perennial powerhouse in Petey, representing the Canisius Golden Griffins of the MAAC.

Petey had been a threat to win the contest in each of the past two seasons, but he had never made the Championship Pairing until this year. He was looking to build off his 4th place finish in last year’s challenge.

On the flip side, Boomer was making his first appearance in the challenge, and he quickly emerged as a front-runner in the Round of 64. He took home the most votes in the first round, and showed no signs of slowing down with each passing week.

With Boomer and Petey both in the finals, a new winner would be crowned the “Top Mascot in the NCAA” for the third straight year in the Mascot Mayhem Challenge.

By a final margin of 56.8% to 43.2%, the winner of the 3rd Annual College Court Report Mascot Mayhem Challenge is……

Boomer is the third different mascot to win the challenge, joining the now-retired Harry the Hawk (Maryland-Eastern Shore) in 2014-15, and Sam the Minuteman (Massachusetts) in 2015-16!

Over 7,000 votes were cast in the final pairing in the online polls, Twitter, and Instagram!

Early on in the finals, Boomer opened up a sizeable lead over Petey, using a combination of online poll votes and social media to pull away. It looked like the contest was going to be over early in the week.

But, the Canisius faithful weren’t going to let Boomer roll over Petey, and they launched a furious comeback in the polls to try and make up some ground.

A wide array of sports teams jumped on the campaign trail for Petey on Sunday, looking for fans to cast their votes for their mascot as he looked to nab his first title of “Top Mascot in the NCAA.”

In the end, Boomer’s quick start at the beginning of the week was too much to overcome, and the Mascot Mayhem Challenge title is off to Springfield, Missouri.

The final standings are as follows:

1. Boomer – Missouri State Bears

2. Petey Griffin – Canisius College Griffins

3. Butler Blue III – Butler Bulldogs

4. Sam the Minuteman – Massachusetts Minutemen

All four mascots who appeared in the Final Four have secured the top four overall spots in next year’s challenge, which will include a new format and new ways to vote!

Stay tuned for more information.

For now, Missouri State University is the home to the top mascot in the NCAA. Boomer has had quite the off-season, taking home both the award for the Top Mascot in the Missouri Valley Conference as well as the CCR Mascot Mayhem Challenge award for Top Mascot in the NCAA!

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who voted over the last six weeks. Your school pride is what makes the NCAA so exciting, and we can’t wait for the 2016-17 basketball season to tip off!