The winter sports teams at Merrimack College have been preparing for their upcoming season since the summer. Â The energy and enthusiasm exuberating from these athletes and coaches is enormous, and they want their MC fans to embrace in this excitement as well. Â That is where Midnight Madness came in, which is a chance for the athletes to get the fans as excited as they are.
On October 18th, after a very exhilarating home opener hockey game between Merrimack College and Mercyhurst University, Midnight Madness was conducted.  Students and outside fans filed into Hamel Court, the school’s gymnasium.  On the way into the gym was a multitude of free giveaways including pizza from Tripoli’s, rally towels, and t-shirts. Â
The gym was soon full of fans ready to cheer on the Merrimack Warrior teams.  President Christopher E. Hopey came out first, hyping up the fans for the hopes of a great upcoming winter season.  Soon after, the MC’s took over, introducing the dance team.  They performed their choreographed dance which was followed by the introduction of both the women’s and men’s basketball teams.  They came out with a huge amount of enthusiasm, hyping up the crowd with each athlete that ran out.
After the introduction of the basketball teams, many contests occurred.  First was the three-point contest that happened between random members of the audience, with the basketball team players helping them along the way.  Then came a relay that involved putting on lacrosse gear and running across the gym to a partner, trading the gear, and then running to the other side.  The dunk contest between the men’s basketball team came next, in which the audience got to hold up score cards rating each dunk.  Each winner of these contests won a goody bag full of Merrimack College goods.
Finally came a raffle for a 50” flat screen television, in which the person whose raffle ticket got called won the TV.  The half-court shot was difficult to make, in which no audience member could do.  Along with this raffle was a 50/50 raffle won by a father of an athlete from the women’s basketball team.
The night was concluded with a choreograph dance from the women’s basketball team.  The confetti cannon was then shot off as all the fans exited the gym, feeling excited to watch the winter sports team games.
Go Warriors!