Cade Kincaid, a WVU junior accounting major from Fayetteville, leads a celebratory cheer after being named the 71st Mountaineer mascot Saturday (March 8) at the Coliseum. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger)
Expanding on his academic and service accomplishments at West Virginia University, Cade Kincaid of Fayetteville will don the buckskins and coonskin cap to represent the University and the Mountain State as the next Mountaineer mascot.
Kincaid, a junior accounting major minoring in finance, business data analytics, and business ethics and prosperity, was named the 2025-26 Mountaineer mascot Saturday (March 8) during the men’s basketball game at the WVU Coliseum.
Carrying on his family’s legacy at WVU, Kincaid said he is proud to be the face of a land-grant, R1 institution and Power Four school that competes against other prominent athletic teams in the Big 12 Conference.
One of his earliest memories is going to a WVU bowl game with his family in Florida, but attending the Backyard Brawl with his dad at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2023 as the “Student of the Game” is his fondest Mountaineer memory thus far.
Awarded two game tickets and field passes, he said, “To be able to sit back in great seats and watch the Mountaineers beat Pitt that day with my dad — who is an alumnus — was an awesome experience.”
Kincaid’s mother and sister also graduated from WVU.
“This role means so much to me,” Kincaid said. “From age 4 to 20, I was a Mountaineer fan, but in the past two years, it really dawned on me that, if I were to pursue this role, I could really make a change and influence people and our state in a good way.”
A member of the Honors College, Kincaid serves as a peer mentor and ambassador for the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics and as a member of Delta Sigma Pi, where he engages in various community service projects to benefit the Ronald McDonald House and Empty Bowls Monongalia.
Kincaid will officially accept the rifle and the responsibilities of the Mountaineer mascot from Braden Adkins, the 2024-25 mascot, during a formal “Passing of the Rifle” ceremony at 6 p.m. April 4 in the Mountainlair, Gluck Theatre. Prior to the ceremony, which is open to the public, a 5 p.m. reception will be held in the Mountainlair, Vandalia Lounge.
The alternate mascot will be announced at a later date.
Submit a Mountaineer mascot appearance request.
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ta/3/8/25
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