Rachel Goldstein Wins Wellesley's 113th Annual Hoop Rolling Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 26, 2007
CONTACT:
Arlie Corday,
781-283-3321

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Rachel Goldstein of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is the winner of this morning's 113th annual hoop rolling competition at Wellesley College. Goldstein, who will graduate May 30, was met at the finish line by Class Dean Angela Carpenter and President H. Kim Bottomly, where she was presented with a bouquet of red roses, in honor of the 2008 class color.

In keeping with tradition, Goldstein was promptly carried by her classmates to the edge of Lake Waban and tossed into the chilly water. Traditionally, the winner of the contest, which first began in 1895, was said to be the first in her class to marry. These days, victory is seen as a sign that the winner will be the first to achieve success, however she defines it.

Goldstein is a political science and women's studies major. She has served on the College Government Cabinet as its chief justice.

About 200 Wellesley College seniors, many dressed in academic gowns, made this morning's 1/8 mile dash, rolling old-fashioned wooden hoops in a race to the finish line. The race was kicked off by Class Dean John O'Keefe.

Wellesley College has been a leader in liberal arts and the education of women for more than 130 years. The College's 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students from 50 states and more than 65 countries.

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