Incoming freshmen participated in a Texas-sized game of Twister on Tuesday afternoon, an ACU Welcome Week tradition.

The class gathered in Moody Coliseum on a board comprised of 192 regular mats held together with white duct tape.

The students twisted, turned and contorted their bodies into all forms of obscure shapes until the last remaining students were declared winners.

“ACU Twister was a pain in every part of my body, but it was exciting,” said Will Brooksbank, freshman psychology major from San Antonio, who was one of the winners.

While the Twister Mat is large, it pales in comparison to the world record. In 2008, a school in Mexico created the largest Twister mat ever, measuring 84 feet wide and 130 feet long.

The annual Twister game creates an opportunity for students to get to know each other in close quarters. Chris Porter, freshman biology major from Dallas, was another of the declared winners. He said the game was a great way to meet his new classmates.

“I thought it was really enjoyable,” Porter said. “This was fun because it was big and had the whole freshman class.”

Brandy Rains, freshman art major from Keller, was declared one of the winners despite wearing a knee brace.

“I just want to let everyone know, I beat you after knee surgery,” Rains said.

Years of working with kids helped Meagan Oliverson, freshman environmental science major from Salt Lake City, find success on the Twister mat.

“My many years of training as a nanny have helped me. I stretch every day,” Oliverson said. “I knew from the day I was born, I’d win this competition.”

Welcome week continues through Friday.