Spanish Faculty team takes home Overall Award at Bed Races

Students, faculty and alumni gathered along Riverside Avenue to watch 40 different teams race each other on beds.

Bed Races, an annual Homecoming event since 1980, took place Oct. 2. Teams made up of undergrads, graduate students and faculty competed against each other in costume.

The Department of Modern Languages and Classics' Spanish Faculty won the Overall Award, and SportsLink won Best Costume. Both teams took home bed-shaped trophies. 

Kappa Delta took home the plaque for the Sorority Division, while Lambda Chi Alpha won the Fraternity Division. University Singers won Female Independent, and the Male Independent went to Delta Gamma Iota. Johnson A Botsford/Swinford Hall won in both the Male and Female Residence Hall divisions.

See more photos from Bed Races.

Ivan Martinez Cepeda, a member of the overall winning team, said this was his and his colleagues' first time competing in the Bed Races. Their team Captain, Colleen Balukas, was confident in her team's ability, even though they lacked the experience other teams had.

"We're gonna win," Balukas said before the race started.

Hayley Williams, general chair of the Steering Committee for Homecoming, said what makes Bed Races so popular is that it isn’t limited to one type of organization.

"Everyone looks forward to it, everyone knows about it," Williams said. "Faculty, organizations ... everyone can do it. The whole Muncie community comes to watch."

Every year Bed Races take place on the Friday of Homecoming Week. Williams said it helps end the school week and get people excited for weekend festivities.

"It kind of ends the week, Williams said. "Gets everyone pumped for the big game.”

One team of Athletic Graduate students went by the name "Mark Sandy's Beach Bums" and were dressed for a day at the beach. Team member Nate Dudzik said nothing was going to keep him from participating in the traditional event.

"It's 50 degrees and we're out here racing," Dudzik said.

Trevor Holland, a sophomore public relations student and winner from Botsford Hall, said even though his team won its division, the experience was even better.

"It's really special to carry on this tradition that they've done for so long," Holland said. "It's really nostalgic." 

The event was not just for students and faculty. Alumni such as Phil Brooks and his wife traveled to Ball State to enjoy Homecoming Week. Brooks said he and his wife were in the class of 1969 and graduated alongside alumnus David Letterman.

Now a resident of Eaton, Ind., Brooks said Homecoming was an important week when he went to school, especially the football game. Even though the Toledo Rockets are currently undefeated, Brooks said Ball State can beat them Oct. 3 if students are there to cheer them on.

"Any student should not have an excuse to miss the game," Brooks said. "We didn't dare miss in our day."

Brooks comes back to Ball State every year for Homecoming Week. He said he enjoys participating in the festivities and supporting his alma mater.

"All these years, and we still come back," Brooks said. "And this time we're kinda excited about the football team."

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