Harvard Juniors Win Burrito-Eating Contest

The Beanpot—hearing those two words inevitably evokes images of intense hockey games between Harvard and its cross-town rivals Boston University, Boston College, and Northeastern.

While the men’s hockey team fell to Northeastern in a heartbreaking overtime loss Monday, leaving Harvard students without bragging rights for this season, four Harvard juniors pounced on the opportunity to vindicate their school and bring it a little Beanpot glory.

In the final round of the “Rice and Beanpot” Burrito Eating Contest last night at the Axis Club in Boston, Will A. Rodger ’06, Nik A. Sobic ’06, Jim T. Dowell ’06, and Jim V. Morroco ’06—adorned in hockey jerseys—trounced Northeastern in the final round of the 17-ounce burrito-eating relay race. Not only did the team—who resides in the fabled “Meatlocker” in the Pforzheimer House basement—give Harvard something to brag about with their burrito-eating talents, but they won an eight-day trip for four to Cancun, Mexico.

The victory, however, did come with a price.

“I’m definitely going to have the worst heartburn ever tomorrow,” Morocco said, as Rodger asked around for medication immediately following the competition.

But if Rodger was in pain during the contest, he didn’t show it at all. He started off the relay, posting a time of just 43 seconds—10 seconds slower than the unbelievable 32-second time he took to eat the burrito while being featured on Fox News yesterday morning.

“I was a little nervous at first, but then I realized I was the best burrito eater in all of Boston,” Rodger said.

Dowell expressed his confidence in his teammate and his awe-inspiring burrito-eating abilities.

“I was a little nervous at first too, but then I realized Will is the best burrito eater in all of Boston,” Dowell added.

Sobic followed Rodger in the relay, giving Harvard a sizeable lead and passing the proverbial baton on to Dowell. Without hesitation, Dowell devoured the burrito and handed the competition over to the team’s anchor, Morocco, who was halfway through his meal before Northeastern’s fourth man even started.

Victory hung in the balance for a split second when it looked like Morocco was going to throw up, but he swallowed hard, finishing the burrito and sealing the Crimson victory.

“I take a lot of pride in eating,” said Sobic, a Harvard football player of impressive stature. “I feel like I showed everyone here that tonight.”

Former hockey superstar Ray Bourque was on hand to congratulate the winning team and present them with a shiny silver trophy to commemorate the hard-earned victory. Eating over two pounds of food—not all of which stayed down—was a difficult feat, even for the massive men of the Harvard team, Dowell said.

“There were some rough times during the competition. I didn’t know if we were going to make it through. We had to puke a little, but that comes with the territory,” Dowell said.

The “Rice and Beanpot,” sponsored by Qdoba Mexican Grill and Nantucket Nectars, also featured musical acts State Radio and Northeastern band Logan and a comedy sketch in between the rounds. A silent auction of sports memorabilia—featuring items such as a baseball autographed by Keith Foulke and a Troy Brown jersey—was conducted next to the burrito-eating stage.

Members of the Harvard women’s swim team also earned a spot at the competition by finishing second to the men of the Meatlocker in the preliminary round held at Harvard last Friday. The women went on to defeat a panel of celebrities in a relay of their own last night.

Proceeds from last night’s event will benefit the “Celebrities for Charity Foundation.”

---Staff Writer Megha Parekh can be reached at parekh@fas.harvard.edu.