MACON, Ga.  – It seemed like de ja vu when FGCU's Azul the Eagle took on the Highlander of NJIT in the finals of the Atlantic Sun's fifth annual Most Valuable Mascot Challenge. After a nail-biting defeat last year, the FGCU fans rallied and Azul reclaimed his throne after racking up 5,942 votes. 
  
Azul had a comfortable lead over the Highlander throughout most of the final day en route to claiming his third Most Valuable Mascot crown in the last four years.
 
Azul faced the Lipscomb Bison in the first round and dominated on all three social media platforms throughout the day. The Bisons were unable to answer as Azul's lead grew to 1,951 votes to their mere 179 when the 4 p.m. deadline rolled around. Azul continued his winning streak on Wednesday when taking down Ozzie the Osprey of UNF. Before noon, the Eagle fanbase increased their total to 1,089 compared to Ozzie's 487. For the second straight round, Azul accumulated the most votes of any mascot in the conference with 1,655.
 
On behalf of the ASUN, Azul would like to thank all the fans who participated and voted in the 2016 ASUN Most Valuable Mascot Challenge over the past week.
 

	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter	Total
Azul	852	4,271	819	5,942
Highlander	640	1,637	347	2,624

 
ABOUT FGCU
Seven programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sports. In 2014-15, FGCU finished 9th in the Division I-AAA Learfield Sports Director Cup final standings, ahead of several prominent Big East, Missouri Valley and Atlantic 10 Conference members Ticket information for upcoming events is available by logging on to FGCUTickets.comor by calling 239-590-7145. Additional news and schedule information is available at FGCUAthletics.com. Follow us on Twitter (@FGCUEagles), Facebook (/FGCUAthletics), Instagram (@FGCUAthletics) and YouTube (/FGCUAthletics).
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.