Underdog scores upset win in baby crawling race

The crowd at a Duke-UNC basketball game went wild for the upset race.

March 17, 2023, 12:31 PM

While March Madness may apply to college basketball, the real madness this month came in the form of a baby race during a recent showdown between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.

During halftime at the March 4 basketball game, five babies took their spots to crawl their way to victory in a race known as the "Diapers to Dorms Dash."

As soon as the race started, one contestant, a little girl named Lyla, zoomed ahead of the other babies -- only to come to a complete stop inches away from the finish line.

PHOTO: Babies compete in the "Diapers to Dorms Dash" at the March 4, 2023, basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Babies compete in the "Diapers to Dorms Dash" at the March 4, 2023, basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Carolina Blitz via Storyful

As she sat, unwilling to put her hand across the finish line, another baby came nearly as close to the finish line, and then also stopped.

PHOTO: Babies compete in the "Diapers to Dorms Dash" at the March 4, 2023, basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Babies compete in the "Diapers to Dorms Dash" at the March 4, 2023, basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Carolina Blitz via Storyful

Both babies then began crawling back toward the start line as the crowd in the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, went wild.

As the chaos unfolded, a third baby came from behind and crawled closer and closer to the finish line.

PHOTO: Babies compete in the "Diapers to Dorms Dash" at the March 4, 2023, basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Babies compete in the "Diapers to Dorms Dash" at the March 4, 2023, basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Carolina Blitz via Storyful

That baby, named Brexley, crossed the finish line into the arms of her mother, winning the race.

Brexley was rewarded with a check for $529, an amount that will be contributed to her NC 529 Account, a college savings plan.