FARMVILLE, Va. -- MIDNIGHT MADNESS will mark the beginning of the 2003-04 Longwood University men’s and women’s basketball campaigns this Wednesday night, Oct. 15. The annual event will provide Longwood students, faculty, staff, as well as the Farmville area community its first glimpse of the upcoming Lancer teams. The Madness gets under way at 9:45 p.m. with a Tailgate Party on Iler Field, followed by festivities in Lancer Hall beginning at 10:30 p.m..

Basketball highlights to the madness include introductions of both the Longwood men’s and women’s basketball teams and coaching staffs, a dunk contest involving the men’s team, a three-point shootout between the two teams, a men’s team scrimmage, and brief speaking appearances by new men’s head coach Mike Gillian along with veteran women’s head coach Shirley Duncan.

Non-basketball highlights will include student shooting contests for $10,000, four at $2,500 each, performances by the Longwood cheerleaders and the Blue Heat dance team, introductions of the other 12 Lancer athletic teams, another hoops scrimmage between faculty and students, and a Battle of the Mascots (Lance Lancer vs. the Sunchase Bee). There will also be other fan contests for giveaways to include tee-shirts, mini-basketballs, pompons, mini-megaphones, dinners for two at the new Mulligan’s Sports Grille, and more.

Sponsors of Midnight Madness are Longwood University Athletics, Alumni Association, Ambassadors, Blue Heat, Bookstore, Campus Recreation, Cheerleaders, Men’s Rugby, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Student Union and Activities, and Theatre Department; ARAMARK; Mulligan’s Sports Grille; NCAA Choices Grant, SLM Financial Corporation; and Sunchase at Longwood Apartments.