Photo by: Lauryn Sprung

Students clapped and cheered as fraternity boys pranced and twirled across the stage of Davis Auditorium in Delta Zeta’s first Big Man on Campus philanthropy event on Friday.

Seven different fraternity members competed, but first place and the title “Man of the Year” went to Phi Kappa Sigma’s Jake Epley, junior, who won with over 100 votes from the audience. Nearly 200 were in attendance at the pageant.

Delta Zeta’s charity fundraiser pitted DU’s fraternities against each other in a three-day competition over the weekend, which included an all-male beauty pageant and a flag football tournament.

Also competing in the beauty pageant portion of the tournament, were sophomores Morgan Lieberthal from Kappa Sigma and Jack Reis from Lambda Chi Alpha, Anthony Giavia from Sigma Chi, Bryan Berry from Zeta Beta Tau, John Delacey from Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Chris Gallion Sigma Lambda Beta.

The men entertained the crowd with talent competitions, which included a peanut-butter-and-jelly-making display as well as ribbon dancing, and a few heartfelt ballads.

There was also a swimsuit competition and a Q&A section, where the boys dressed in formal attire.

“We were so happy that the pageant turned out so well. It’s the first year we’ve done this event so everything was pretty experimental,” said junior Caddie Nath, who helped organize the event.

“But I think the guys had fun and we got a great response from the DU and the Greek community. And we were able to raise some money for a great cause.”

The tournament continued on Saturday afternoon with a giant game of hide and seek, which the fraternity Sigma Chi won.

On Sunday, the fraternities competed in a flag football tournament in DeBooer Park in Harvard Gulch. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity claimed victory on Sunday, but it was Phi Kappa Sigma that won the overall tournament at the end.

Over the course of the weekend, more than $1,500 was contributed to the charities of Delta Zeta’s choice.