This week, Wildcats and Wildcat supporters alike can make it so during WSU’s portion of the 23rd annual American Red Cross Blood Battle Sept. 14-17. The Shepherd Union Ballroom will accept donations Sept. 14-16 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sept. 17 from 1-6 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but donors are encouraged to make an appointment ahead of time to avoid waiting. Use the code BLEEDPURPLE on the American Red Cross website to schedule an appointment.

Michael Smauldon, executive director of the American Red Cross Northern Utah Chapter, told the Standard-Examiner Friday that the Sept. 8-11 collection sessions at USU were going very well.

“They’ve been averaging about 70 units a day,” he said. “So they’re doing pretty well.”

Collections were still ongoing when Smauldon spoke to the Standard-Examiner last week, so a final total of units collected has not been announced yet.

According to a press release from the American Red Cross, the Blood Battle has been especially active between the two schools the past five years.

“The Blood Battle began in 2003 and has collected more than 20,000 units of blood since the competition started,” the release said. “Over the past five years alone, the two universities have collected a combined 3,580 units, with Utah State collecting 2,078 and Weber State collecting 1,502 from 2021 through 2025.”

Smauldon said that it’s much more than just a healthy competition.

“Even though, yes, it’s a battle and it’s something that they’re both competing to win the trophy, at the end of the day, the lives that they save is the highlight of this whole thing with both of these schools,” he said. “They’re both amazing.”

WSU Public Relations Director Rachel Badali told the Standard-Examiner in an email Friday that the drive is open to anyone who is interested in contributing blood.

“Wildcats and our local neighbors are ready to literally roll up our sleeves and get to work, helping us reach our goal of collecting 222 units of blood for the American Red Cross,” she said. “Whether you’re a student, employee, neighbor, or alumni, you’re invited to donate. If you meet basic American Red Cross eligibility requirements, we need you on our team.”

Smauldon noted that, earlier this year, the American Red Cross issued a rare alert due to low blood supplies.

“We were in a critical blood shortage,” he said. “It was the second time in history that Red Cross has put out a critical blood shortage alert. Through the summer, that’s always the toughest due to people traveling and going on vacation. We don’t do drives in high schools or at the colleges, so we see a pretty stark drop in people donating blood. And thank goodness that people really listened to what we were saying and saying how critical we were low, because we had an amazing turnout for the month of July and August for blood turnout.”

He said that even though the situation has improved, events like the Blood Battle are critical since the response to an initial call to action can often be followed by a drop in participation.

“The sad part about that is usually after an alert like that, we do see quite a big lull that happens over the next couple of months,” he said. “And so this battle is super important to help us continue to continue bringing in lifesaving blood. We won’t have such a lull due to both of these schools and the blood battle. We’re truly grateful for both Utah State and Weber State, the students in the community, for coming together and really fighting for a great cause.”

In 22 previous Blood Battles, one thing has been a constant — Utah State has always won and Weber State has always finished in second.

But that could change this year.

Smauldon said last week — even before WSU students have begun donating — that he’s already seen a lot of enthusiasm from the student body.

“Weber State has never won this,” he said. “They’ve always came really close — within 20 to 30 units, in some cases, that they were short of winning, which is not a lot of people. That’s 20 to 30 people, and so they are really pushing out, not just within the school for sign-ups. The student body government has been supporting it, a Red Cross club is supporting it to go out throughout the school and really get people to sign up. They’re pushing it out in the community and going to friends and family and community members and encouraging people to sign up, because they are very determined to win this year. So we’re seeing a big push coming from Weber State and we are super excited for next week to see what Weber State is going to do.”

Badali said, whether or not WSU wins this year, the Blood Battle and contributions by all Wildcats and their supporters do something much bigger.

“Donors can walk away knowing they’re saving and prolonging lives, and that spirit of service and care really reflects who Wildcats are,” she said. “It also highlights Weber State’s deep connection to our community. We’re here to support and take care of one another.”

For more information, visit https://www.weber.edu/WSUToday/weber-state-23rd-blood-battle-2026.html.

To set up an appointment on campus, https://www.redcrossblood.org/ and using the code BLEEDPURPLE.

Donors can still contribute to WSU’s Blood Battle total, even if they aren’t able to make it to campus using the Wildcats Save Lives Bloodlink and making an appointment at their preferred donation center from Sept. 14-17.