An underdog run to the Final Four of the Mid-Major Madness Mascot Melee ended Wednesday morning for UNC Wilmington mascot Sammy C. Hawk when the website announced Sammy had been defeated by North Texas mascot Scrappy.

Sammy advanced through the NCAA Tournament-style bracket with victories over Bruno (University of New Orleans), Norm (UNC Charlotte), Gaylord (Campbell), and Scrappy (Chattanooga) to win the South Regional before his loss on Wednesday.

Despite being down nearly 20 percent in the Twitter vote on Tuesday morning, the UNCW community rallied around Sammy to put him ahead for a few hours late in the day before losing the Google poll. Results from that poll have not been made public.

The Seahawk mascot was active on social media leading up to the final vote. Videos of Sammy interacting with students and hype videos encouraging fans to vote surfaced throughout the day.

“I expected support from Seahawk fans,” Sammy said. “But the amount of support I received has me flying higher than I ever have.”

Sammy remained upbeat after bowing out of the tournament. As a No. 10 seed coming in, the odds were not in his favor to advance past the first round, but the support of Seahawk Nation pushed him deeper than he thought he could go.

“I was disappointed, but also humbled by the support,” he said. “I’ve always known we have the best fans around and this contest just showed everyone else just how great they are.”

Many students were disappointed to see that their mascot would not advance to the championship round. They remained proud of their mascot and the spirit he brings to campus and sports games.

“I’ve never been more proud of Sammy than I am right now,” said junior Hunter Godwin. “It just goes to show what can happen when people show support for those around them.”

Fans can expect to see their mascot at most sporting events during the school year. He will also make appearances around Wilmington, like at Omega Sports this Saturday from 11-2 p.m. Sammy is confident the same enthusiasm that fueled his run to the Final Four can be used to support UNCW Athletics this season.

“If those fans support our athletics and coaches like they supported me, I think we’ll have a great year,” he said.

Assistant Sports Editor Brandon Sans can be found on Twitter @Bsans10. Any tips or suggestions should be forwarded via email to [email protected].