On Thursday, University of New Haven athletics hosted its annual Midnight Madness at Charger Gymnasium as a kickoff to the 2018-19 men’s and women’s basketball season. Students packed the gym for a chance to receive free t-shirts, given to the first 200 students in attendance.

The night kicked off with the introduction of both the men’s and women’s basketball players, and the coaching staffs. The first event  was a three-point contest that pitted two women’s basketball players and a lucky student against each other to see who could make the most three pointers in 30 seconds. Senior guard Alexandria Kerr, who sunk a buzzer beater, won the contest to beat junior forward Michah Wormack.

Next up were performances by the university’s Cheer Team, followed by the Dance Team. Both teams debuted routines that will be showcased throughout the basketball season. The men’s basketball team then took the court for a team dunk contest.

Four men’s basketball players went head to head on the court. The contest was highlighted by a ferocious windmill dunk by senior Najee Larcher, who sunk in on his first attempt. With the crowd on its feet, it was time for some dance performances.

5678 Dance Team took the court next with a hip-hop performance, followed by a performance by the Incendio Dance Project. The last dance performances were by the Elite Step Team and the Monsoon Dance Crew.

The final event of the night was the “frozen t-shirt contest”. Participants were chosen through a raffle and had to put on a frozen t-shirt and dribble the basketball to half court. The participants then had to put on an oversized jersey, a pair of shorts, and shoes and attempt to make a shot. Once they made the shot, they had to give the jersey, shorts and shoes to a teammate, who repeated the process.

Men’s basketball will begin their season on Friday Nov. 9, when they take on Seton Hall University for an exhibition game in South Orange, New Jersey. The Chargers will make their debut at home on Nov. 17 when they take on Adelphi in their first conference game of the season.

Women’s basketball will begin their season on Sunday, Nov. 4 when they travel to the University of Rhode Island for an exhibition game. The Chargers will return to Charger Gymnasium on Nov. 17, when they take on Adelphi for their home opener.