BYU’s Cosmo wins Off the Block, TallSlim Tees Mascot Challenge championship

Photo courtesy of BYU athletics

Cosmo is the king when it comes to college men’s volleyball mascots.

The BYU mascot defeated Abe of Lincoln Memorial in the championship round Monday to win the inaugural Off the Block/TallSlim Tees Men’s Volleyball Mascot Challenge.

This event recognized some of the best mascots in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball and let fans determine the champion through online voting on the Off the Block website. The mascot challenge at the start had a 10-mascot tournament field with both Cosmo and Abe going undefeated in the round-robin stage to reach the semifinals and then the finals.

Cosmo received 63.7 percent of the 1,5007 votes cast in the championship round to beat Abe.

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Along with the championship title, BYU will receive a $100 donation from Off the Block that will go towards helping Cosmo travel to a road or postseason men’s volleyball match during the 2021 season.

Cosmo, the school’s cougar mascot since 1953, has become a fixture at the Smith Fieldhouse and interacting with fans during BYU men’s volleyball home matches. The mascot also has been in attendance for several of BYU’s recent NCAA Tournament appearances.

Abe as the runner-up will receive a $50 donation from Off the Block that will go towards him traveling to a Lincoln Memorial men’s volleyball match next season.

Lincoln Memorial designed its mascot Abe to resemble former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. He often arrives to Railsplitters’ sporting events wearing his iconic tophat and carrying an ax.

TallSlim Tees, the official sponsor of the mascot challenge, is a clothing store that produces items specifically designed to fit lean and tall individuals. Its online store also offers a wide variety of styles and options ranging from v-neck shirts to dress shirts.

Off the Block is a national award winning website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.