Just a few weeks ago, Jeff Hiatt and Justin Dickerson’s plans for spring break looked rather bleak. Both were broke and faced spending their break watching the Eugene rain pour down.
Those plans changed when the pair won a free trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after winning the fourth and final round of the Pepsi Spring Break 2000 Challenge, a three-point shootout during halftime of the men’s Civil War game at McArthur Court on March 11.
Hiatt, a senior sociology major, and Dickerson, a senior majoring in finance, said they did not know there was a trip at stake when they first entered the contest at the beginning of the basketball season.
“We just kind of entered in a spur of the moment type deal,” Hiatt said.
And the effort paid off when the roommates boarded a plane for their week-long trip sponsored by Pepsi, which paid for airfare and lodging. The two scored not only the winning shots, but also a large hotel room with an ocean view and the beach in their backyard. The only expenses Dickerson and Hiatt had to cover were food and entertainment.
Hiatt said although winning a prize was appealing, he and Dickerson did not prepare for the tournament.
“We took it seriously, but we didn’t really practice,” Hiatt said.
As the two kept winning round after round in the tournament, which started with 16 teams of two, a week in sunny Cabo San Lucas came closer and closer. In the final round, the pair had 35 seconds to beat the other finalists, who had gone first and scored an impressive 48 points.
Dickerson said he and Hiatt then scored 44 points and with about three seconds to go they knew the last shots would decide whether they were going to go to Mexico or stay in Eugene.
Dickerson said he remembers Hiatt increased the pressure by telling him that Cabo San Lucas was only a few seconds and shots away.
After taking their finals, the two packed their bags and enjoyed a week of swimming, playing sand soccer and volleyball with Cabo San Lucas locals, sight-seeing and celebrating their success with some friends who joined them during their vacation.
Senior business major Zack Wallace, an intern for the sports marketing department in charge of the tournament, said the trip to Cabo was the biggest prize Pepsi, which is a corporate sponsor for all of Oregon sports, has sponsored so far.
“If you won [in the earlier rounds] you kept going,” Wallace said. “If not, we had a pack of Pepsi for you.”
But Hiatt and Dickerson scored more than some thirst quenchers; they scored the grand prize.
“We know we were really lucky on getting hooked up,” Hiatt said. “I can’t believe we won.”