The Student Government Association and Intramural team collaborated to host the first ever ACU Olympics last week with team Zebras taking first, The Backstreet Boys taking second and Gammas + Siggies taking third.

Students competed on teams of a minimum of five women and five men in swimming, track and field, bouldering, corn hole and softball.

These events took place across Abilene at the ACU Track, Student Recreation and Wellness Center and the Jane Seller Softball field. The events spread across three days, April 18, 19 and 21.

Thirteen teams competed, averaging about 170 participants in total. Monday kicked off the Olympics with Track and Field, followed by Tuesday with bouldering and swimming, and ending Thursday with softball and cornhole.

“We wanted to start with some traditionally recognized olympic sports and things we have not had in intramurals before,” Nathan Marshall, sophomore double major finance and information systems from McKinney and SGA CFO, said. “The Olympics has never been done before and it was something we knew SGA could help do. We wanted to help make it more of a intramural student body event.”

This idea originated last year as a part of the then SGA Vice Presidents campaign.

“It was one of the things Boone wanted to do to increase engagement and participation he followed through an dwe have been working to put it together,” Marshall said.

Participants were very appreciative of this event, giving some athletes an opportunity at competition.

“I think it gives more opportunity for people to just come out and have some fun,” Austin Hotchkiss, a senior kinesiology major from San Antonio said. “This is something where there are a lot of good athletes that just don’t compete in sports like that.”