It’s Hyphen Week. No pregame speeches necessary in Hyphen Week. Oh, Week 2 is on!
Game 1 – Ohio State vs. Pomona-Pitzer
Pomona-Pitzer is actually a joint athletics program for Pomona College and Pitzer College. Someone get these two a hyphen already!
Pomona and Pitzer are part of an even larger set of five undergraduate liberal arts colleges, known as the Claremont Colleges, all located in Claremont, California.
Their teams are the Sagehens. Their mascot is Cecil the Sagehen, though it remains unknown which of the two schools Cecil graduated from.
Game 2 – Carson-Newman vs. UCLA
Carson-Newman University is a Christian liberal arts school of 2,600 students located in Jefferson City, Tennessee. In 1880, the existing school was renamed Carson College, which was located right next to Newman College, a separate school for educating women. In 1889, the two merged, added a hyphen, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Their sports teams are the Eagles. Their mascot is Christ the Eagle. Not really.
Game 3 – Birmingham-Southernvs. East Carolina
Birmingham-Southern College is a private liberal arts school of 1,300 located in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1918, Birmingham College and Southern University merged to create BSC, and they’re still bound by a hyphen to this very day.
Their teams are the Panthers, named for the indigenous Alabama panther, an animal known for deep frying its prey and roaring with a thick southern accent.
Game 4 – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. Connecticut
Do you remember when I said Pomona and Pitzer were two of the five Claremont Colleges? I’ll give you one guess at the other three. Go ahead.
Yes. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is the joint athletics program for Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Scripps College. It’s a veritable collége à trois.
The Claremont Colleges are now complete. Five schools, two sports programs, three hyphens, one city, and everyone is now competitive.
Let the games begin!
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