Students, Alumni, Entire UMW Community Go All-In for 100th Devil-Goat Day
And … the Devils have it! At least for a year.
Yesterday’s Devil-Goat Day competition at the University of Mary Washington was in full force for the 100th anniversary of the uniquely UMW tradition.
“Everything felt a little bigger and more meaningful,” Alyson Hardy, a senior majoring in communication and digital studies, said of the end-of-the-academic-year event that helps cut pre-exam tension. “There were more activities, and you could tell a lot of effort went into making it memorable.”
UMW’s Devil-Goat Day has students who graduate in odd years (Devils) battling it out against those who graduate in even years (Goats) in a friendly competition of school spirit, where participation counts, collecting points is all about fun, and an epic tug-of-war battle wraps it all up.
Learn more about the Devil-Goat Day tradition.
For the 2026 edition, thousands came out to get in on the carnival-like action spread out across campus, from Virginia Hall to Jefferson Square, with a brightly colored train transporting students between stations.
Ball Circle was filled with bounce-house-type contests, including jousting and obstacle courses, plus backyard barbecue fare and plenty of swag. Students played volleyball on “the beach,” in front of Randolph and Mason Halls, where cornhole boards and a giant Connect Four game were also set up.
A petting zoo in front of Westmoreland Hall featured a menagerie of furry friends, with – well, goats (but no devils) – plus bunnies and birds, a pig and a pony, turtles and more. And Jefferson Square held food trucks with funnel cakes, snow cones and ice cream.
Connecting it all, Campus Walk was lined with artists creating caricatures, balloon objects and apparel, henna tattoos, face paintings and fairy hairdos, while Sammy D. Eagle and a roving magician mingled among the crowd. And, of course, there was plenty of swag – thousands of free T-shirts, in green for Goats and red for Devils, plus cups, bandanas, bracelets and temporary tattoos.
“Students really leaned into the 100th anniversary,” Dean of Students Melissa Jones said of the event, hosted by Class Council. “It was so great to see such a huge crowd and people enjoying all the additional activities lined up specifically for this special year.”
For alumni the competition continues online with a 100th year challenge that runs through May. For that one, the winning team will be determined and announced during Reunion Weekend.
Valerie Palomares, a junior double majoring in Spanish and political science relaxed on a bench at the end of the day, donning a neutral purple balloon hat with a golden unicorn horn. “It’s a really good time for all the classes to come together no matter what,” she said. “A tradition is a tradition, and this was the 100th, so it’s never going to happen again.”Body of story here…
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