The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s and UH Mānoa’s strong run in the 2021 Tokyodachi Mascot Mania tournament has come to an end. UH Hilo fell in the Elite 8 and UH Mānoa lost in the Sweet 16. Both matches against the University of Houston were decided by a margin of less than 2% of votes. So that means UH took out UH then that UH took out UH. Mahalo to everyone who voted on Tokyodachi’s Instagram!
UH Hilo racked up a total of 44,291 votes in its six matches (5th highest in the competition) and UH Mānoa accumulated 37,049 votes in its five matches (7th highest). 256 schools competed in the tournament, which began on June 15.
This was UH Mānoa’s second appearance in the tournament after losing in the Elite 8 in 2020, while UH Hilo appeared in the Tokyodachi tournament for the first time.
The light-hearted competition was an opportunity to spread the word about UH Hilo’s and UH Mānoa’s characters, and stay engaged on social media with fellow Vulcans and ‘Bows supporters. Zephyr designed and created both characters with input from UH Hilo’s and UH Mānoa’s athletic departments.
This year’s Final 4 schools are UC San Diego, Grand Canyon, Cal State Fullerton and Houston. The winning campus will earn its own custom Tokyodachi merchandise line.
