Phi Mu won its third consecutive Panhellenic Powderpuff tournament on the Practice Field Sunday, defeating all four other Panhellenic sororities in the annual flag football competition.
The Powderpuff tournament has been included in Greek Week since 2006, but this year the event was pushed back to a later date.
Lindsay Kiernan, a senior Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa) sister who helped plan Greek Week, said that the intensity of the competition was a contributing factor in the date change.
“[Powderpuff] can either be a lot of fun, or get really scary intense if the other team is rude,” Kiernan said.
This change did not significantly impact the sororities’ preparations for the tournament. Each sorority team is paired up with coaches, who are all fraternity members. The teams and coaches meet several times in the weeks prior to the tournament to learn and practice.
Junior Ike Amakiri, a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) brother who coached the Phi Mu team, commended his team’s dedication in practice and in play.
“The games have been fun,” Amakiri said. “Our first game was a blowout — that’s why we practice. The girls put in the work to get the results they want.”
Sophomore Kevin Pfau, a Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) brother and Kappa team coach, said that Powderpuff is an important event because it encourages the establishment of partnerships and support between all Greek organizations.
“[Powderpuff] is a great event for Greek Life,” Pfau said. “Being in a fraternity, it’s cool that we get paired up with different sororities to coach. It helps build our relationship with them. It’s good to be out here with all the girls to support them.”
In addition to members of Greek organizations, the Powderpuff tournament drew many non-affiliated spectators. Sophomore Mitchell Kelly, a member of the Hopkins men’s football team, said he was impressed by the sorority girls on the field. He said he admired the Powderpuff players’ strength, speed and grace.
“Being able to win off athleticism is awesome,” Kelly said.
Many players also suffered injuries due to the rough nature of the competition. At one point in the match between Phi Mu and Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta), Alyssa Wenzel, a Theta sophomore, was knocked down by a Phi Mu opponent and injured her knee.
“I was running and someone came and tackled me,” Wenzel said.
Senior Theta sister Katie Naymon said that the sorority’s relative newness to campus has motivated them to ramp up the intensity in the tournament.
“We’ve come a long way [since] last year, [when] we were just starting out,” Naymon said. “I think we have really wonderful coaches and we already have a lot of new members participating, which is wonderful. Everyone seems really excited about today.”
This year, all sororities played against each other in the tournament. Junior Phi Mu sister Jenny Hansen, who competed in the tournament, said this new structure of Powderpuff created a more fair tournament.
“I hope the sororities like being able to play every other sorority in a round-robin fashion, bracket style,” Hansen said.
Junior Theta sister Maria Laura Reategui said that the event helped foster closer friendships within her sorority.
“You don’t know all the people [you’re playing with], but you’re all thrown together and somehow you make really good friends,” Reategui said.
Junior Alpha Phi sister Juliana Wittmann said her sorority’s team also became closer friends through preparing for the tournament.
“We have a slightly smaller team than in the past, but it worked out well,” Wittmann said. “Everyone showed up to practices and [had] greater energy. It’s great to have everyone together today because in the Panhellenic community we don’t see each other together that often.”
Kiernan said that even though she was not physically playing on her team, she enjoyed the event because it gave her an opportunity to support her sisters on the field.
“I think the event really brings out a sorority’s true personality and morals,” Kiernan said. “There’s nothing like pitting groups of sorority girls against each other for their true nature to come out. It all ends up being worth it in the end, even the 7 a.m. practices, because I’ve grown closer with my sisters.”
