Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

At right: women's soccer team members pose with YoUDee and Baby Blue during a break in the pep rally festivites.

NEWARK, Del. -- A crowded Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant was the setting for Monday night's University of Delaware Basketball Pep Rally that gathered friends, families, fans, students and student-athletes to kick-off the seasons.

The evening was highlighted by introductions of the men's and women's basketball teams and coaching staffs, comments from women's head coach, Tina Martin, and men's head coach, Monté Ross, wing eating contests and UD basketball trivia.

Three wing eating contests were held: a coaches' contest, a female student contest and a male student contest. Once each of the contestants for their respective round had received a basket of 10 mild or medium wings, and had the first wing gripped and ready to devour, Mike Corey, the voice of UD men's basketball and football on 94.7 WDSD, cued the eating.

Blue Hen mascots, YoUDee and Baby Blue, were present to help Martin and Ross judge the contests, while the UD Cheerleaders and Dance Team led the crowd in cheering on the participants.

Women's basketball assistant, Tiara Malcom, defeated head women's soccer coach, Scott Grzenda, assistant women's basketball coach, Chris Campbell, director of women's basketball operations, Liz Hayes, and men's basketball assistant coach, R.C. Kehoe, to win the coaches' round.

The female and male student rounds featured Delaware students and Blue Hen athletes selected from a Cockpit drawing. Women's basketball guard Meghan McLean was the first to 10 in the women's head-to-head, while sophomore men's track & field sprinter/hurdler, Wes Chandler, won the men's contest.

Blue and Gold pom-poms were handed out to all, while select attendees received other give-aways ranging from Cockpit sweatshirts to mini basketballs.

The Delaware men's team will debut regular season action on Saturday, Nov. 15 when it hosts Temple at 12 p.m., while the women's squad kicks-off its season with seven consecutive road games, debuting at DeGol Arena at St. Francis, Pa., on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.