Bulldogs Celebrate2013 CIAA Championship at Rally

 By Charise Wallace 

                After a nail-biting final game at the CIAA Men's Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., the Bowie State Bulldogs celebrated their championship at the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex on March 7.

                 Faculty, staff, students, and administrators jammed the gym for a spirited pep rally featuring the Golden Girls, Dancing Divas, Symphony of Soul marching band and BSU President Mickey L. Burnim who hailed the team's first championship in a decade.

                 The Bulldogs defeated Livingstone 85-74 in the CIAA finals at the Time Warner Cable Arena on  March 2. Ten years ago the team won its first CIAA championship. Byron Westmorland had a huge impact in leading the Bulldogs to victory by scoring 38 points in the final game. He was honored as the team's MVP. 

                "I feel great about Bowie State winning the CIAA championship," said Arlene Creek, former interim athletic director and women's basketball coach, before the rally. "It was a longtime coming and it was a very good feeling."     

            Almost everyone who attended the rally participated in one of the most trending dances across the world called, "Harlem Shake." The dance started off with Burnim twirling his arms while raising the CIAA championship trophy. BSU Alumni President John Word, Athletic Director Anton Goff, men's basketball coach Darrell Brooks and the BSU mascot joined students, faculty and staff on the gym floor for a flash mob that turned into a mosh pit that was later put on YouTube.   

              "We went into the tournament as the No. 4 seed and I think a lot of the schools felt we would do in the tournament what we did during the season," Creek said, referring to the team's losses early in the season. "Our mindset has been were going to stick together and win this tournament. We did what we had to do." 

                The rally ended with Coach Brooks cutting a cake decorated for the champions. With food, music and photos the students turned the rally into a Day Party that went on into the early evening.