As the train horn blew, the crowd roared and Tugs competitors pulled.

Straining themselves to avoid the water, at least three tuggers were injured and without official paramedic assistance Monday at the Campus Pond for the first round of Tugs for Greek Week 2015.

Bree Johnson, a freshman Alpha Gamma Delta sorority tugger, was injured, limping away from the Tugs event with the help of some of her sorority members.

Joe Ariola, a senior Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity tugger, and Dan Hernandez, a junior Pi Kappa Alpha tugger, went down after their tug, with their teammates assisting them and stretching them out afterward.

Dean Harwood, the director of fraternity and sorority programs, said they normally request a police officer from the University Police Department to be present during the competition as a first responder.

He said he was not sure if an officer was requested this year. A police officer was not present during the Monday rounds.

Despite the injuries, tuggers took their marks, preparing for the blow of the horn.

Danny Orescanin, a senior Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity tugger, said the only thing he focused on was the horn.

“Nothing matters except for the horn,” Orescanin said.

Several tuggers, including Chidi Obia, another senior Lambda Chi fraternity tugger, said the brief two minutes before the horn blew felt like an eternity.

“It feels like 20 minutes, especially the first one of the season,” Obia said.

Several tuggers fidgeted as the officials counted down, ready to pull the rope to ensure they did not hit the brisk waters.

After inching closer to the pond, the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity team gained a second wind, allowing them to nab the victory over Pi Kappa Alpha in the Big Men’s division, the first Tugs victory for the chapter. They won after 1:35 minutes.

They will go on to face the Sigma Chi fraternity at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Campus Pond in the Big Men’s Division.

Three others tug rounds within the division will also take place Wednesday. The Sigma Pi fraternity will face the Sigma Pi Epsilon fraternity. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Sigma Nu fraternity will tug against each other. The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and the Delta Tau Delta fraternity will take each other on as well.

Alex Hopkins, the Phi Kappa Theta tugging coach said they were able to pull through in the end because of their training. He said they trained on endurance so they were prepared to hold out.

“They are a great bunch of guys, and we all worked hard,” Hopkins said.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon won against Delta Tau Delta in one of the three Little Men’s Division rounds Monday. They took the victory after 2:25 minutes, the longest tug of the day. Both teams stood shaky but firm throughout their tug.

Delta Tau Delta fell short after a few falls from some tuggers of the team.

In the two other Little Men’s Division rounds, Sigma Phi Epsilon grabbed the victory over the Sigma Chi fraternity after 1:22 minutes, and Lambda Chi Alpha gained a win over Sigma Nu after a brief 55 seconds.

Sigma Phi Epsilon will take on Sigma Pi at 4 p.m. Friday at the Campus Pond in the next round of the Little Men’s Division. In the same division, Lambda Chi Alpha will move on to face Sigma Alpha Epsilon the same day.

Alpha Gamma Delta, despite having a brief burst of energy in the middle of the tug, lost to the Alpha Phi sorority in 1:23 minutes. Alpha Phi will move on to the next round in the Women’s Division. They will take on the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority during Wednesday’s tugs.

Also in within the Women’s Division Wednesday, the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority and the Delta Zeta sorority will tug; the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and the Delta Delta Delta sorority will tug; and the Kappa Delta sorority and the Sigma Kappa sorority will tug.

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]