YUMA, Ariz. - A total of 82 teams began in the NJCAA Best Nickname Bracket Challenge and only eight teams remain including Arizona Western College. Matador Nation used a late surge and a secret weapon to sneak past the Fire Ants of USC-Sumter in the final game in the Round of 16. Arizona Western defeated USC Sumter by .4% in total votes cast on the NJCAA Instagram and Twitter/X accounts. 

"It was fun and a little nerve-wracking as it came down to the wire," Arizona Western Sports Information Director Scott Gross said. "I knew if we could keep it close, make a late run, we'd have a shot. We were helped out again by our secret weapon that goes unnoticed by a lot of other schools."

When asked what the secret weapon is?

"I'm not going to share that until it's time, that's why it's a secret weapon," Gross said. "Really proud how our staff, athletes, students, families and friends rallied. Just so pleased to see the final result in our favor."

Of the 8 teams remaining, three are from the ACCAC and include Arizona Western, Mesa Community College and GateWay College. Arizona Western will next face the Geckos of GateWay in the Elite 8 on Thursday, February 26th, with voting opening at 11:00 am MST.

"The Geckos have been dominating through this bracket challenge," Gross said. "GateWay has had great fan support. Their closest matchup was a score of 65-35 in the second round. We'll have our work cut out for us with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Should be exciting, I'm sure Matador Nation will be ready once again."

Competition Format: 

Two teams will be matched up head-to-head in a competition on social media to determine the winner. Voting will take place on the NJCAA X/Twitter and on the NJCAA Instagram Story. Each matchup will have a 24-hour voting window, and the votes across both social media platforms will be totaled together to determine the winner. At the conclusion of the voting period, the winner will be announced on X/Twitter and the Instagram Story.

For a full list of the bracket, click here