November 3, 2005
 

In 2005, the Knights had officially finished its transition from the Florida Sun Conference to NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference. NSU had even won an SSC conference title in men's golf in the spring. Despite how fast the athletic program was growing, there was still a sense of identity that was missing on campus.
 
This was made evident by a survey conducted on campus that showed that 40.5 percent of the student body did not know the school's mascot was the knight. As a result of the survey, the school put on a near-year long search for a new mascot. From Feb. 19 to April 19, the school took mascot suggestions from current students. A taskforce of 20 people went through a total of 447 different entries and over 200 unique suggestions.
 
Suggestions ranged from the Whales, the Horses, the Stingrays and even the Sundogs. Ultimately, the Sharks would be chosen as the new mascot of the university. The rebranding became official on Nov. 3, 2005 during a noon pep rally. Later that evening, NSU volleyball would gut out a 3-2 five-set win over South Florida rival Lynn, marking the program's first victory under the new era.

"Transitioning from the Knights to Sharks marked a significant historical period for our department, as the identity of our athletics teams and mascot were reinvented," stated Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing/Development/Fundraising Kim Carbo. "Prior to the change, not many people knew who our mascot was or that we even had athletic teams on campus. Establishing the Shark mascot proved to be a valuable tool for branding athletics awareness, student engagement and an overall enhancement of school spirit."
 
The selection of the Sharks as the school's mascot has proven to be a successful decision. NSU gained an identity across campus with no student being able to avoid the Sharks moniker, whether taking classes online or attending an event in the Don Taft University Center. Athletically, NSU officially turned the page in its history and would grow into one of the nation's premier NCAA Division II programs.

Check back with NSUSharks.com next Tuesday for the next #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athletics History."

Moment No. 1: NSU Athletics is Born
Moment No. 2: Knights Chosen as School Mascot
Moment No. 3: Hansley Hired as Director of Athletics
Moment No. 4: Nova Adds Four Sports
Moment No. 5: Nova Joins NAIA
Moment No. 6: Nova Adds Three More Teams
Moment No. 7: Nova Helps Form FIAC
Moment No. 8: Nova Wins First Conference Championship
Moment No. 9: Baseball and Volleyball Win First Conference Titles
Moment No. 10: NSU Adds Softball
Moment No. 11: NSU Adds Women's Soccer and Wins FSC Tournament Championship
Moment No. 12: NSU Names Ray Ferrero Jr. as School's Fifth President
Moment No. 13: NSU Adds Women's Basketball and Wins Conference Title in First Season
Moment No. 14: NSU Jumps to NCAA Division II and Sunshine State Conference
Moment No. 15: Kyle Ruwe Becomes NSU's First NCAA All-American
Moment No. 16: NSU adds Rowing, Tennis and Men's Cross Country
Moment No. 17: NSU Breaks Ground on University Center
Moment No. 18: Rembe Becomes NSU's First Female NCAA All-American
Moment No. 19: NSU Men's Golf Wins First SSC Championship

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