(Andrew T. Yarbrough / Fourth Estate)

Students gathered in EagleBank Area to celebrate the return of the 2024 A-10 Regular Season Co-Champions

BY ANDREW T. YARBROUGH, STAFF WRITER

The annual Gold Rush event at Mason celebrated the second men’s basketball home game of the season on Friday, Nov. 7, at EagleBank Arena. 

The stadium was filled with golden t-shirts, laughter, games and resources to usher in a season of Patriot spirit. 

Each year, Student Government, Patriot Activities Council (PAC), the Resident Student Association (RSA) and the Mason Spirit Squad come together to help build the Mason community’s sense of pride in Mason Athletics and to help cheer on the Mason men’s basketball team, who successfully made it to the NIT Second Round last year. 

The event was nothing short of spectacular. As students flooded the North entrance of Eagle Bank Arena, they were met by Student Government members handing out yellow t-shirts and thanking them for coming to make this year’s Gold Rush a success.

Once students received their shirts, they could play basketball on the concourse with their friends, get their faces painted or spin a wheel to win prizes from PAC. 

PAC is a large student-run organization that holds free, large-scale events on and off campus for students. 

In addition to Gold Rush, PAC hosts Homecoming and Mason Day in the Spring semester to connect students to campus culture and offer ways for the Mason community to interact outside of an academic setting.

The energy at Gold Rush is remembered year-round. 

“Gold Rush is a really fun tradition that I really enjoy coming back to year after year,” said Griffin Crouch, Student Government chair of Government and Community Relations.

One of the activities offered by Student Government and PAC allowed students to create their own posters to hold during the game and cheer on the players. 

Kaylah Pratt, a sophomore volunteering with Student Government, said she was “really excited to encourage students to promote school spirit.”

Mason E-Sports was also in attendance to showcase the games they offer on campus, including Clash Royale, Mario Kart and more competitive games like League of Legends and Call of Duty. 

Gold Rush was sponsored by The Main On University and The Flats on University, two off-campus student housing complexes.

At halftime, students participated in a Simon Says game with Steve Max, a professional Simon Says caller who frequently hosts shows at sporting events across the United States. 

Two students were crowned the winners of the competition by Max.

To cap off the festivities, George Mason beat Winthrop 96-90 for their second win of the season, with gold T-shirt clad Patriots cheering them to victory.