Sistersville native Trey Hinrichs will again represent West VirginiaUniversity as the Mountaineer mascot for 2003-04.

WVU s Mountaineer Selection Committee announced Saturday (March 8) during the WVU -Virginia Tech mens basketball game that the senior psychology/counseling major will serve as mascot for a second year.

“The selection process this year has been remarkably competitive,”said Brandon Flower, former Mountaineer and committee chairman.”The extraordinary quality of the candidates made the choice difficult.”

Hinrichs is a trombone player and four-year member of”The Pride of West Virginia”Mountaineer Marching Band, and has served as a resident assistant and Resident Assistant Council chair at Dadisman and Stalnaker halls on WVU s Downtown Campus.

“We (the selection committee) are confident that Trey will continue to be an outstanding ambassador for the University and the State,”Flower said.”He is a very articulate and enthusiastic young man and a devoted servant of the community.”

Derek Fincham from Petersburg will serve as the Mountaineer alternate, a mascot who will work mostly when WVU has two conflicting events or when Hinrichs is unable to attend. Out of nine applicants, four finalists, including one woman, were selected to participate in a”cheer off”at the WVU -Georgetown game on Monday, March 3. Each candidate took a turn donning the traditional buckskin and long rifle and firing up the crowd with traditional cheers and chants.

The Mountaineer Selection Committee consists of six students and four faculty/staff members.