The Aquinas College Athletics Department announced the launch of its revamped website, AQSaints.com, today (July 2) following a redesign with collegiate digital media provider, SIDEARM Sports. Aquinas also introduced an updated logo for the College's mascot, Nelson, a Saint Bernard, part of a larger planned refresh of the AQ Athletics brand identity marks.

A refreshed online home

The refreshed site replaces the previous edition of AQSaints.com, which was launched in March 2016. The new design has an updated and more modern look, easier navigation and functionality, and will continue to raise the profile of the Saints teams, athletes and coaches with fans and the community.

The new website is the online home of AQ Saints with news, photos, video, stats, social media and information about all of the College's athletic programs. The site will work in conjunction with the department's strong social media presence, providing live updates and recaps, stories and other news about Saints student-athletes and coaches.

"We're really excited to partner with SIDEARM Sports and launch the newest version of AQSaints.com," said DJ Foster, assistant athletic director for communications and marketing. "Over the last year, we've had more than 1.3 million views on our website, which shows the tremendous support and interest in Saints athletics. Additionally, our social media networks and accounts are continuing to grow and expand. We feel this was a perfect time to make the transition to SIDEARM, which will provide us with a terrific, fresher website and increased live streaming and live stats platforms."

An updated Nelson

The new look of the site also introduces an updated look for Nelson, the College's Saint Bernard mascot, replacing the existing mark that has been used during recent years. 

Nelson – named after former Aquinas College President Paul T. Nelson – has represented Aquinas athletics since 1997. The updated logo is the first step in a planned refresh of the athletics brand marks, which will be officially launched in the fall and rolled out across teams over the next athletic year.

The update of the widely-used Nelson logo places the mascot in a front-facing view and features a barrel around his neck. The logo visually represents the powerful, strong and intelligent nature that is characteristic of the breed. The school colors of maroon, gray and white continue to play a prominent role in the design of the website and updated logo.

"The updated Nelson logo fits with the new website, as we focused on giving him a more modern look," Foster said. "We wanted to stay true to the previous Nelson, and also wanted to get him back to his Saint Bernard roots, including the barrel. The new logo is not a drastic change – it is an evolution – and we were intentional with that thinking."

There is a centuries-old myth that rescuers equipped Saint Bernards with barrels of brandy or wine to be used in the rescue of lost travelers in the Alps. Although there is no historical proof that this was standard practice, the barrel is still commonly associated with Saint Bernards.

In addition, Aquinas College is shaped by the rich Dominican tradition, which was founded by the 13th century preacher St. Dominic de Guzman. The order is nicknamed "Hounds of the Lord," based partly on a vision that St. Dominic's mother had of a black and white dog carrying a torch. As a nod to this story, the updated Nelson logo subtly incorporates flames in the ears and below the face and barrel.

"We are looking forward to rolling out new logos for AQ Athletics, and the updated Nelson is an exciting start," said Marissa Sura, Aquinas College associate vice president for marketing and communication. "AQ Athletics and the College's graphic services team have collaborated for more than a year to develop an updated look to meet the needs of today's AQ Saints. In addition to sharing progress and gathering feedback from various members of the campus community, we have been able to look at the origins of these marks and how they represent the unique qualities of Aquinas College."

Aquinas Athletics encourage fans and the community to visit the new site at AQSaints.com and follow @AQSaints on social media.