This years’ Homecoming Court nominees were kidnapped in the midst their Wednesday nights, given tiaras and royal scepters and whisked away on shining golf carts.

There are 11 Homecoming Court nominees this year: Meredith Thornton, Darci Halstead, Kayli Huddleston, Amy Morris, Emily Ricker, Heather Young, Courtney Ray, Kassi Riddle, Madelyn Robinett, Madison Sandifer and Whitney Stevens.

The excitement started Wednesday night when the nominees were kidnapped, blindfolded and bombarded with silly string.

“I knew some of my friends had nominated me, but I didn’t actually think I would make Homecoming Court. I was not expecting that,” said Meredith Thornton, senior psychology major from Cedar Hill.

Thornton is excited to have her Dad as her escort at the Homecoming game, especially since he attended ACU and will be at his 30-year reunion.

Wednesday night was especially a surprise for Amy Morris, senior accounting major and co-director of the Homecoming Steering Committee from Sugar Land. Morris was a part of the kidnapping team but didn’t know she was also a nominee until the end of the night.

“I had no idea. I thought I knew what was going on,” said Morris. “Samantha Adkins told me who the 10 nominees were on Tuesday and I was really excited for everyone. We went and kidnapped all of the nominees, and when we were in the Siggie room, at the very end they turned around and said that I was on court.”

Typically there are only 10 nominees for Homecoming Court. It has been 10 years since they last had a co-chair on Homecoming Court.

“The first thing that went through my mind was, ‘Did I miscount?’ Then I thought, ‘How are we going to do 11?’ But then I was just really excited, humbled and very thankful,” said Morris.

The nominees will attend Queens’ Tea on the Friday of Homecoming before the Homecoming Queen is announced at Saturdays game. The 12 nominees from the class of 2003 will be back for the Coming-Home Court this year.

Block voting and campaigning both have been practiced heavily by social clubs in the past. For the last several years, the Homecoming Committee has asked students to not campaign for votes or participate in block voting for the Homecoming nominees. The committee requests a fair approach to voting this year as well.

Samantha Adkins, assistant director of Alumni Relations, has been in charge of the Queens’ activities since 2009 and has enjoyed getting to know the nominees throughout the years.

“I get to meet sometimes 10 ACU seniors that I don’t know very well and develop those relationships a little bit, which is great because we are in the alumni office, and they are a year away from being members of the Alumni Association,” said Adkins.

Students can vote for the Homecoming Queen at www.acu.edu/queens.