by Bryce Reedy

CMU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams get their seasons started in the coming weeks, so they decided to start their season off differently this year. On Friday Oct. 21, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the teams hosted their first ever Midnight Madness.

The event featured a three-point competition, a dunk contest, cheerleading routines and the chance for two students to win free tuition for a semester. A vast number of students came to Brownson Arena to watch the two teams showcase their talents for the first time this season.

“It was a little nerve racking,” guard Jaylyn Duran said. “We were all sitting in [the locker room] and the coaches came in and they were like ‘Oh there is a packed gym. We are pushing it back five minutes to set down more bleachers.”

Midnight Madness got things started with the three-point competition, which featured four players from both teams. The format for the competition had the four women players go against each other, and the winner of would go on to face the winner of the men’s group.

The women’s group consisted of Bryanna Adams, Erin Reichle, [Jaylyn] Duran and Holly Brooks. Duran went on to win the women’s group, defeating Brooks in the in the second round to win the women’s side.

“It is always fun,” Duran said. “I don’t really look at it as winning, it is just a fun turnout.”

The men’s group consisted of CJ Davis, Connor Nichols, Ludvig Saldh and Nate Hawley. Saldh and Hawley faced off for the chance to take on Duran in the final round. Saldh came out victorious after going 19-25 on the round.

With the victory, Saldh and Duran met up in the final round, and it would be Saldh who would come away victorious in the first ever Midnight Madness three-point competition.

“I am from Sweden and we never had crowds like this at a basketball game,” Saldh said regarding the crowd and how it helped him get in a groove during the competition.

Next up on the night was the dunk contest featuring four men’s players: James Sylvester, Tanner Riley, Eimer Lopez and Kabir West.

The four Mavericks put on a show for the fans that were in attendance, as well as the judges. Some of the highlights included a dunk from West after throwing it off the back wall, Lopez getting a pass off the side of the backboard and finishing the dunk and a power throw down from Riley. However, the star of the show was Sylvester, who is the newcomer to the team.

After the first two rounds, it was Sylvester and Lopez in the final. Lopez went first in the final round, but was unable to finish his dunk, so all Sylvester had to do was finish a dunk and he was going to be the winner. But he wasn’t going to throw down an easy dunk, and the crowd got him ready for his final throw down.

“When it came down to the wire and I had to make a dunk they got me pumped up and my adrenaline running,” Sylvester said.

 In the previous round, Sylvester was able to jump over Davis to seal his spot in the final. So for his final performance, he was going to be jumping over two Maverick players.

“I practiced [it] like a week ago in open gym,” Sylvester said. “After open gym was done I was like ‘let me try something.’ I did the first one over CJ [Davis] and I made it. And then I tried the second one over CJ and Brandon [Hoffer] and I made it so I was like alright I am going to do that in the dunk contest.”

And Sylvester did just that on Friday night. On his final attempt of the night, he flew over Hoffer and Davis and threw it down, making him the first ever Midnight Madness dunk contest victor.

 “It felt amazing,” guard James Sylvester said. “The first two tries when I went up there to do my dunk I was like ‘ahh man it just didn’t go in.’ But I just stuck with it and it feels great.”

The final event on the night was the chance for two students, a male and a female, to win free tuition for a semester. To gain this prize they had to hit a layup, three-pointer and half-courter all in one minute. And leading up to the drawing, the male student who was chosen had a feeling he would be the only playing for the chance at free tuition.

“Well before they did the raffle I just told my buddies ‘Hey I have a gut feeling that they are going to pick my name,’” student John Beaudrie said. “And then I couldn’t believe it, it was crazy.”

Beaudrie’s name was drawn, and he had the opportunity to get free money. When the clock starts he hit the layup on his first try. Next up was the three-pointer, which he banked in on his second attempt. So he had 45 seconds to hit a half courter. But he did not need it. After nearly banking in his first attempt, the second fell through as Beaudrie was rushed by the crowd on the court.

“I was most confident in the half court,” Beaudrie said. “I didn’t think I was going to hit the three. I don’t really play basketball or anything.