Written by Alaina Wolf // Graphic by Ben Evans
Campus Life is hosting a March Madness Bracket Challenge for students to participate in and win prizes. Students of all levels of experience with March Madness are encouraged to participate.Students of all levels of experience with March Madness are encouraged to participate.
Students were able to sign up last week either online or in person at the Campus Life office located in the Student Center to fill out a bracket between March 17 and March 21. The brackets Campus Life provided were the same basketball brackets that were passed out across the nation for this season of March Madness. The challenge applications closed March 21 at 11:15 a.m. Campus Life encouraged all students to participate in this event since it did not cost anything to join in on this activity.
One aspect about this March activity that will keep it competitive is that students will be able to have a visual for whether they are still in the running throughout the competition. Junior Evan Carter, the Campus Life small events director, does not recall Campus Life ever hosting a campus-wide bracket during his time at Harding.
“We will display the brackets, and they can track their progress to see if their bracket has busted or not,” Carter said. “Once your bracket is busted, you can still win something.”
One of the Campus Life sports engagement directors, senior Brenley Colbert, has played a major role in implementing this easy yet engaging activity for the student body.
“We will display them in the Student Center so all students can keep up as the games progress,” Colbert said. “The best bracket will get a jersey from the team of their choice, and the worst bracket will win a Campus Life sweatshirt.”
Coined in 1939, March Madness refers to the annual NCAA college basketball tournament. Although the month is coming to a close, the games will go into the month of April, so there is plenty to look forward to.
Many students have been raised watching these March Madness games and filling out the brackets each spring. One of these students is Campus Life Community and People Director Lynley Eller. Eller shared her excitement for bringing this activity to Campus Life because of her history watching these games.
“I’ve grown up watching March Madness with my family, so I’ve loved it my whole life,” Eller said. “This is a huge reason why I’m excited for our little piece of the fun.”
Although students can no longer enter this challenge, anyone can walk in the Student Center to see whose brackets are still standing.
