Since mythical times, the Dolphin has been considered the most intelligent of water-dwelling animals because of their ability to communicate via a language. Contrary to popular belief, the nickname, "Dolphins" was not selected because of the proximity of the Mount Saint Vincent campus to the Hudson River. While there have never been dolphins spotted on or near our Riverdale campus, the mammal that has inspired our nickname has a long and illustrious history at the Mount. Known not only for intelligence, but for swiftness and agility as well, the Dolphin nickname began to appear at the institution during the 1940's in an academic sense - as the name of an Honor Society created by the Student Council. Those elected to The Dolphins received such an honor because of demonstrated character, loyalty, cooperation, and participation in school activities.

During the early 1980's, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics adopted "Dolphins" as the official mascot, with the ideal set forth that our Student-Athletes would exhibit the traits of a Dolphin in their athletics endeavors.  On January 29, 2005, at halftime of the women's basketball game against Manhattanville College, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics unveiled its new Brand Identity and Logo. The selection of the new Brand was the latest step in the evolution of the CMSV Dolphin. The brand, designed and created by Phoenix Design Works during the Fall of 2004, featured a grey dolphin with a new athletics font that contained the Mount Saint Vincent athletics colors of royal blue, gold, and white.

The brand transformed once more, this time in line with Mount Saint Vincent's change from College to University. Athletics has stayed true to its white and gold roots but has added navy blue as a primary color while also incorporating a lighter shade of grey to its palette. The department also created a new, simplified Vinny while also creating a secondary "UMSV" wordmark logo, featuring a Dolphin silhouette. 

UMSV is one of only five NCAA member institutions that utilize the Dolphin mascot. The other institutions are the College of Staten Island in New York City; LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York; Jacksonville University in Florida; and the Channel Islands campus of the California State University.