Hot Dogs and Belly Flops Mark an Evening of Homecoming Competition

Lindsey Wilson University students make a splash with hot dog eating contest, belly flop championships.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (11/06/2026) — Lindsey Wilson University students Esnayder Puac-Perez '29 and Santiago Maciel '28 notched achievements on Thursday, Nov. 5, that might not look that impressive on a resume, but the accomplishments will provide both of them with a lot of good memories.

Puac-Perez won the second annual Homecoming Hot Dog Eating Contest, and Maciel won the 15th Lindsey Wilson Belly Flop Championships, Presented by the Nagode Family.

Both extracurricular activities attracted crowds of onlookers, who marveled at students' abilities to turn competitions that are usually little more than backyard challenges between family members and friends into campus events that elicited thunderous applause and raucous cheers.

Hot Dog Eating Contest

In the Hot Dog Eating Contest, which was sponsored by the Lindsey Wilson Student Government Association, 11 LWU students gathered around a half-dozen rectangular tables on the Campus Quadrangle that were loaded with plates of hot dogs and buns. The 11 students attempted to eat the most hot dogs and hot dog buns in two rounds of competition as more than 100 foodie fans looked on.

Six students advanced to the finals after they devoured seven to 11 wieners and buns each in the five-minute first round.

But if it is possible to overindulge in an eating contest, that's what the six finalists might have done in the first round. Puac-Perez could manage to consume only three more frankfurters and buns in the five-minute final round. He won the contest by eating a combined total of 14 hot dogs and buns over two rounds.

That number fell six short of the 20 hot dogs and buns Puac-Perez reckoned he would consume when asked to predict a total before the start of Thursday night's competition.

"I definitely need to prepare more -- eat less in the week prior to it," said Puac-Perez, who had been fasting since breakfast on Thursday. "But I felt confident I could win it. I'm naturally a big eater."

If Puac-Perez's appetite underperformed, he was certainly dressed for the event. He competed clad in a hot dog costume that a co-worker at the university's Doris and Bob Holloway Health & Wellness Center had loaned to him. He also had a lot of support from friends, including classmate Braxten Davidson '27 of Hazard, Kentucky, who stood behind Puac-Perez's chair exhorting him to down one more dog and bun.

"Braxten helped me push through it toward the end," said Puac-Perezm, who is a business administration major with an emphasis in accounting from Albany, Kentucky.

In recognition of his gastronomical feat, Puac-Perez received a gift card and a plaque commemorating his title. He said he is more likely to use the gift card to purchase gas rather than another hot dog.

"I'm not going to eat hot dogs again very soon," he said.

Splashdown in the Holloway Health & Wellness Center

Following a fireworks show above the John B. Begley Chapel sponsored by the LWU Student Government Association to officially kick off Homecoming weekend on Lindsey Wilson Hill, a crowd of several hundred assembled in the Holloway Health & Wellness Center natatorium to see which belly flop could make the biggest, loudest and most impressive splash.

A total of 16 students competed in this year's Lindsey Wilson Belly Flop Championships, Presented by the Nagode Family.

Two of the students -- Aenaya Vines '29 of Alabaster, Alabama, and Alexis Holman '28 of Pineville, Kentucky -- had competed in the Hot Dog Eating Contest, less than two hours earlier in the evening. Although neither medaled in either event this year, their participation was a testament to the ability to elevate backyard contests to serious competition.

The belly flops were evaluated by a three-judge panel composed of Athletic Director Willis Pooler '93, Dean of Students Chris Schmidt and Director of Campus Recreation Tori Starks, all of whom looked for style and splash when assessing up to 10 points for each flop.

But before an attempt was made, each contestant approached the pool deck with walk-up music, usually a dance and a costume that they may or may not would discard before launching their body onto the pool's water surface. Following an opening round of flopping, five students advanced to a final round.

'I was nervous'

It was in the final round where Maciel, who appeared on the pool deck in a Batman mask and cape, shined. Maciel had won his group with 27 points in the first round, the third best among the five finalists. But when he emerged from a near-perfect flop in the final round, he received a combined perfect 30 score from the judges, which would prove to be three points better than the second-best effort.

Although he exuded confidence in his two flops, Maciel said he was anything but that when he prepared to fling his body into the water.

"I was nervous," said Maciel, a business administration major from Asuncion, Paraguay. "I was literally shaking before jumping."

Most times when Maciel dives into the Holloway Health & Wellness Center pool, it's usually to compete in the 200- and 400-meter individual medley as a member of the Blue Raiders men's swim team. That requires a smooth-as-silk entry into the water, which is anathema to belly-flop competition.

To produce a winning splash, Maciel said he had to make sure that he kept his head up and aligned with his backside. And, most important, he had to "be ready for the pain."

"Because it's going to hurt," he said, looking at his chest and stomach, whose color had been temporarily turned into a bright rose because of the force his torso smacked both times into the water.

But Maciel said the pain was worth the gain of earning the top cash prize of $250, an individual plaque and having his name listed on the natatorium's plaque of belly flop champions.

And he also plans to include the accolade on his resume.

"I think I will, for sure," he said."

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