TO HILLTOPPER NATION
Three weeks ago I could have never imagined this.
I was just staying safe at home and minding my own business when I got the wonderful news that I would suddenly be in a national bracket because Hilltopper Nation loves me so much and would not allow me to be excluded. So I got off my couch, got some stretches in, laced up my red Nike's and checked into the competition. Looking at the bracket I saw I was listed as a No. 16 seed, but I refused to accept that label. With all my supporters behind me, I had all the confidence in the world that we could make some noise on the national landscape.
With your thousands of votes, we did just that, starting off with a win over Ole Miss' Tony the Landshark to claim the play-in in a landslide. We tamed a pair of Tigers – LSU's Mike and Auburn's Aubie – in back-to-back matchups. We exterminated Georgia Tech's Buzz the Yellow Jacket in the Sweet Sixteen and knocked out Tennessee's Smokey in the Elite Eight. We then wiped out Oklahoma's pair of ponies, Boomer and Sooner, in the Final Four to reach the championship matchup against BYU's Cosmo the Cougar.
We had a tight lead the whole way through, but a sudden switch of fate with only a few hours to go saw BYU take a late lead and ultimately win the vote. Although the National Championship matchup unfortunately tilted away from us, there was no doubt that Hilltopper Nation made a statement: The WKU Spirit is a force to be reckoned with, and together we can compete with any other program and fan base in the country. I am proud to be a representative of your love for this university, which is truly unlike any other.
Special moments are difficult to come by nowadays, and I would like to give a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who was so instrumental in this National Championship run. Led by President Tim Caboni and Bob Skipper, the folks at the top of The Hill were so helpful in creating excitement and drawing attention from WKU students, faculty, staff and alumni to the task at hand.
Thanks so much to our always-supportive Bowling Green and Warren County community, including the Bowling Green Daily News, Bowling Green Hot Rods, WBKO, WNKY, Hilligans, Mariah's and more. The attention from the Louisville area was awesome to see – from Kentucky Sports Radio to the Courier-Journal, and of course Jude Redfield – as well as from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena and our mascot friend, Gnash. It was also great to hear from former Hilltoppers Michael Rosenbaum, Claire Donahue, George Fant, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Forrest Lamp, Mike White and so many others.
To our mascot friend, Wisconsin's Bucky the Badger, thanks for your retweet down the wire, although I am sorry we could not officially take down Cosmo. To our ESPN friend Kevin Negandhi, thanks for the retweet of our previous commercial, I hope to work with you and the SportsCenter staff again soon.
And last but not least, I am so grateful to have the best rock band in the world – Cage The Elephant – in my corner. Even though you are world-renowned Grammy-winners, it is inspiring to know how connected you remain to your Bowling Green roots and pride in your hometown team.
We may be in quarantine – and the Twitter polls may be over – but the WKU Spirit still burns warm and bright in all of us. It may be a difficult time right now, but I am grateful we were able to share such a special few weeks together towards a common goal. Please say safe and follow the recommended guidelines, and before you know it we will be cheering on the Red & White together once again.
GO TOPS!
