Greek life supports basketball and breast cancer awareness

Sororities and fraternities decked themselves out in pink and gathered at the Spiders basketball game on Saturday to show support for Richmond and breast cancer research as part of the Student Activities Council's first "Greek Spirit Challenge."

Kappa Alpha Theta won the $250 prize for having the most members there. It is donating the proceeds from winning to the Jamie and Paige Malone Scholarship Fund.

To keep track of each organization's attendance, there was a sign-in sheet for all the Greek organizations, but it closed at 6 p.m. so any late-comers were not able to add numbers to their respective fraternity or sorority.

Many people seemed to filter out at the half-time, even though the point margin remained in flux through out the game, with the Spiders eventually beating the Charlotte 49ers, 53-52.

"It was great to see so many Greeks come out and support our basketball program," said Alex Sanford, a member of Delta Delta Delta who attended the game. "I think if they did a 'Greek Spirit Challenge' for more Richmond teams there would be a lot more attendance at the games."

Katie Murphy was the Panhellenic contact for the game, and said that the official winner wasn't decided until the Panhellenic meeting on Monday, Feb. 20.

"Overall there was a great turnout, and the challenge was a success," Murphy said.

During halftime, Theta's Kait Walsh and Laura Allen competed in a karaoke challenge and inductees into the 2012 Hall of Fame, including NFL running back Tim Hightower were introduced.

"The Greek Spirit Challenge was an exciting opportunity for our Theta sisters to come together in a new type of forum-- in the basketball stands," said Walsh, collegiate chapter president of Kappa Alpha Theta.

"No one was quite sure what to expect, but being with our sisters and seeing the many Greek life representatives in the crowd was a fun and poignant reminder of how strong our Greek program truly is."

Contact reporter Anika Kempe at anika.kempe@richmond.edu