'Down Under Kangaroos' Won FIU's annual 'Walk On Water' Race, Set New Record

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A second year architecture student at Florida International University won this year's "Walk on Water" race.

The competition, in its 32nd year, requires students to design and construct "shoes" that will allow them to walk across the 175-foot lake behind the Steven J. and Dorothea Green Library at FIU's Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

The annual tradition for architecture students in Jaime Canaves' materials class is not just for fun, but to earn an A if they make it all the way to the finish.

This year's event included 27 FIU teams and a team from Palm Beach State College. Students, friends, family, faculty, staff, and alumni cheered on the students from the shoreline.

The winner, Jack Pearce, competed alone with the team name the "Down Under Kangaroos" in a nod to his native Australia. He not only won $1,000 for crossing the finish line first but another $1,000 for crossing the finish line in a record time of 51.9 seconds – beating the previous record of 57.2 seconds by almost six seconds.