Imagine you’re going on a drive for your morning coffee and suddenly you see a Ninja Turtle running at full speed by the softball field. 

You are confused, but you continue or your coffee run until a skeleton starts charging at you. 

By this point, you know it’s not a coincidence. Either Halloween has come early or a you’re going crazy. 

Turns out it’s neither of the two. It’s the Haunted Hawk 5K. 

The 5K was put on last week in an effort to raise money for the softball team. 

To make the event more fun and unique, participants were encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. 

The race took participants around campus. It started at the softball field, went down by the dorms, and looped by the police station and Malone Stadium before it ended back by the softball field. 

Softball players encouraged participants by standing with signs at every turn to cheer on and guide racers. 

Molly Fichtner, softball’s head coach, said the turnout was great and she loved that the team was able to make connections with the students and the community before the start of the softball season. 

“When you can reach people that you’ve never met before and have them out here and meet the girls, you can’t put a price tag on that,” Fichtner said.  

After the completion of the race, the morning was full of fun and festivities for the families that participated. Food and drinks were provided, and kids were able to play games like cornhole with the softball team members.

Awards were then given for best overall male and female times, best time in various age groups and best costume. 

Hannah Flynn, a sophomore business major, won her age group. 

“It was awesome to see everybody in their costumes, and getting to see all the little kids dressed up was fun,” Flynn said. 

As an added effort to fundraise, raffle tickets were sold, and winners won packages that ranged from a signed football from Coach Bowden to a chiropractic basket worth $650.

Because the race coincided with Homecoming, it was a chance for alumni to come and show support for the softball team. 

Virginia Crouch, a 2017 alumna, said she would participate in the future because of how fun it was. 

“It was hard, [as] it was my first 5k, but I feel very accomplished, [so] it was fun,” Crouch said.