Kenyon College Athletics

In response to calls from students as Kenyon nears its bicentennial, President Sean Decatur announced in February a process to consider a new moniker. In the announcement, Decatur wrote, "Our mission and values place strong emphasis on ideas that have been central to Kenyon for as long as many of you remember, including embracing differences, with kindness, respect and integrity. Today we have the opportunity to be more intentional in what we call ourselves, and to better reflect the diversity of our students." 

In response to Decatur's call, nearly 2,000 responses with 200 unique suggestions were received. A subcommittee of Campus Senate evaluated each submission, eventually advancing five for ranked-choice voting. All members of the campus community as well as alumni were invited to vote on emailed ballots. 

The moniker Owls was the clear favorite in the counting of ballots.

The name Owls is inspired by the Kokosing River, a beloved feature of our campus. Kokosing loosely translates to “River of Little Owls” — a tribute to the many species of owls living in our area. Like Kenyon athletes, owls are intelligent, perceptive and fierce.