It was a day that Indiana fans won’t ever forget. It had been six years since the men’s basketball team beat their rival Purdue, but on January 20th, it happened.

Fans packed the stands in Assembly Hall for one of the biggest games of the year. The game ended up being a close one, but with 17 seconds left to go senior guard Rob Phinesse shot a 3-pointer to win it for the Hoosiers. Once the buzzer went off Assembly Hall looked like a scene out of a movie. Students were toppling over one another and jumping up and down. Once they got to Phinesse they lifted him up in the air. He was smiling and raising his hands to the ceiling. This was a historic moment for Indiana and one student happened to capture it in one viral photograph. 

The student behind the lens is IU Cuban Center Photography Intern Gracie Farrall. She has been with the Cuban Center for over a year and photographs all IU sporting events. For this specific game she was assigned the balcony. She had 56 seconds to get into position. Once the fans began to rush the court, Farrall started snapping away. 

Minutes after the fans and students rushed the court Farrall went back to the Cuban Center to edit the photos. She was the first back to the center. She then quickly edited the photos so they could be posted on social media. Farrall began scrolling through the photos she took and one in particular stood out to her. There was Rob Phinesse in the center of the photograph surrounded by smiling students who were lifting him in the air. Instantly, she knew it was the one.

The Cuban Center posted the photo on their social media platforms, however, the photo did not go viral until her dad shared it on Twitter. Not so long after her dad shared it, the photo started to recieve hundreds of likes and retweets. Some notable retweets of the viral photo included: Martha the Mop Lady, IU Hoosiers, Chronic Hoosier, and even Rob Phinesse.

The photo even sparked national attention. Farrall spoke with Indy Star and The Athletic about the photo and how it came to be. She was not expecting the photo to go viral on Twitter and to recieve national attention.

Not only does Rob Phinesse have this viral photo attached to his legacy, Gracie Farrall will too.