Ceremony marks start of Kincaid’s time as WVU Mountaineer mascot

A West Virginia University tradition continues with Cade Kincaid formally accepting the role of the Mountaineer mascot during a symbolic rifle passing ceremony Friday (April 4) at the Mountainlair, marking the end of Braden Adkin's era as the Mountaineer.

Kincaid, a member of the Honors College, is a junior accounting major minoring in finance, business data analytics, and business ethics and prosperity.

The Fayetteville native was named the 2025-26 Mountaineer on March 8during the men's basketball game at the Coliseum.

He will make his first official appearance as the Mountaineer during the Gold-Blue Spring ShowcaseSaturday (April 5) at Milan Puskar Stadium.

"It's going to be a beginning of a new chapter for me," Kincaid said. "I want to use my time as the Mountaineer mascot to build the image of both our state and University. The selection process has shown me how many people love the Mountaineer both within and outside the University, and how hard a community will rally to support the gold and blue."

During his time in the role, Adkins, an economics major from Richwood, attended more than 400 events to cheer on WVU teams and meet Mountaineer fans.

"Serving as the 70th Mountaineer mascot here at WVU has been such an outstanding honor and I am so thankful for the opportunity to represent not only the University, but the state of West Virginia," Adkins said. "Donning the buckskins each and every day is such a unique experience, and I am excited to see what Cade will accomplish over this next year."

Speakers at the rifle ceremony included former mascots Brandon Flower (1998-99), Timmy Eads (2019-20), Michael Garcia (2014-15) and Mary Roush (2022-23).

The event was presented by the Mountaineer Mascot Program and Mountain Honorary.

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ks/4/4/25

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