LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State College Warriors unveiled their new physical mascot, The Warrior Wolverine, at the school’s convocation and new student orientation on Friday.
The new mascot, created after a student-prompted initiative and a comprehensive two-year campuswide process, is said to embody LC State’s “small but mighty” persona. The 528 new students at Friday’s events gave the mascot a warm welcome and rave reviews.
“The mascot looks amazing,” said Isaiah Molsee, senator with the Associated Students of LC State (ASLCSC). “I can’t wait to see it hyping up the students and increasing our school spirit. I truly believe the students will love the mascot.”
The creation of The Warrior Wolverine – from mascot research to acquiring the costume – was spearheaded by ASLCSC. The student group prompted initial conversations in 2024-25, helped research and support the mascot committees in 2025-26, and made a legacy purchase of the mascot costumes in 2026.
“I have talked to many students who are excited about the addition of a mascot to the LC State community,” said Rayne Martinez, ASLCSC president. “I believe the mascot will be a valuable asset that will benefit everyone. I can’t wait to see it brought out at events!”
Students will audition for the opportunity to serve as a mascot performer. Handlers will also be interviewed to assist performers with crowd navigation and engagement. The day-to-day operations of the mascot will be managed by the LC State athletics department and cheer and dance program.
While campus events will be prioritized, the public will be able to request appearances through an online form at www.lcwarriors.com/warriorwolverine.
“It is exciting to see such tremendous support and energy surrounding The Warrior Wolverine,” President Cynthia Pemberton said. “To develop a physical mascot for a school that has largely been without one for 133 years was no small feat. It took creativity, compromise, courage, and a whole lot of hard work. I sincerely thank the many students, faculty, staff, and alumni who had a hand in bringing this idea to life. We proudly remain Warriors and The Warrior Wolverine will help us celebrate this fact.”
In fall of 2025, Pemberton commissioned a 19-member task force composed of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to review and further research the idea of a physical mascot. Research included, but was not limited to, school history, NAIA conference mascots, area mascots, brand identity and marketing, and wildlife native to Idaho. Hundreds of ideas were considered.
After the task force’s four-month research process, LC State utilized two polls to gauge popular opinion, asking students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends for feedback. “Wolverine” was the clear favorite in both a January request for feedback (with 290 responses) and a February poll (with 325 responses).
In April of 2026, Pemberton asked a small implementation committee to develop the costume and related policies and procedures for operations and management. The committee finished its work ahead of schedule and just in time for fall semester.
Founded in 1893, LC State’s first official nickname was “Loggers” before adopting the nickname “Warriors” in the 1950s. While the school is pursuing a name change to “Lewis-Clark State University,” administrators say the adoption of a mascot is unrelated to that initiative.
More information about the mascot is available at www.lcsc.edu/mascot.