Hundreds of attendees from a wide array of Rowan fraternities filtered into the Eynon Ballroom for Theta Phi Alpha’s Annual Mr. Greek Pageant on Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026.
The Rowan University sorority hosts the event each year, with the goal of crowning one Theta Phi Alpha sister and a brother from one of the attending fraternities as the winners of Mr. Greek.
Though fundamentally a competition, senior and Phi Psi brother Brendan Ryan still values the joy that emerges from it.
“We’re all having a blast, laughing, joking around with each other,” Ryan said. “I think it is fun for every contestant.”
The feeling of jubilation was present all throughout the night, with the fraternities in attendance cheering on and supporting their representatives at every given opportunity.
Beyond the drive of competing, a greater cause lies beneath this event. All proceeds from the event are donated to two philanthropy organizations: the Mr. Greek winner’s organization of choice and Theta Phi Alpha’s affiliated organization, Camp Friendship.
Co-philanthropy chair of Theta Phi Alpha and sophomore Alyia Moskovitz finds that philanthropic fundraising adds extra layers of emotion to the event.
“The event is designed to be fun,” Moskovitz said. “But at the end of the day, being able to donate to these philanthropies gives you that feel-good feeling.”
The event began at 6 p.m., with attendees taking the time to scan a QR code from the slideshow supporting the event that would allow them to donate towards the proceedings.
After that, the first stage of the competition began, where each pair walked out dressed in formal attire, with a question for the men about what they were wearing and a second miscellaneous question.
Most significant of all was the next part, which was the talent showcase. All pairs walked their way onto the front stage and put on a range of performances, both artistic and athletic.
“I love seeing the different acts, because it changes each year,” Moskovitz said. “Being able to see the singing, different dance performances, boxing, and any other acts is definitely the most fun.”
The final task brought upon the contenders for Mr. Greek was “mixer attire,” which saw contestants dress up for a party clothing theme of their choice. Some pairs chose to both dress up, while on other teams, only the men were dressed for the theme.
Once concluded, the judging panel of Theta Phi Alpha gathered around to decide who would be third, second, and, most importantly, first place.
Ultimately, the coveted title of Mr. Greek went to Brendan Ryan of Phi Kappa Psi and Lauren Heefner, his Theta Phi Alpha partner for the pageant. The pair won off the back of an acoustic ballad by Ryan during the talent show.
“It feels great to win,” Ryan said. “I had done a couple pageants in the past, and this is the first one where I’ve actually gone home with the crown, literally and figuratively.”
Ironically, Ryan was also the only contestant to have stated in his introduction onto the front stage that he had yet to win a Mr. Greek pageant.
Beyond all of the more tangible aspects of what makes the event so important to those involved, Heefner finds a lot of importance in maintaining and building camaraderie amongst Greek life.
“I think for Theta Phi Alpha, the goal is to foster closer relationships,” Heefner said. “It’s really nice when someone we’re close to wins, and it’s a big celebration for everybody.”
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