As the countdown to halftime approached, Carter Arrott and Addison Boehning anticipated the bright lights as they walked down the tunnel to the Jones AT&T Stadium field with their parents at their side.
Tears of joy were shed and prideful words were exchanged with family as the pair was crowned king and queen during halftime of this year’s Texas Tech Homecoming football game against the University of Kansas on Saturday.
Carter Arrott, a fourth-year personal financial planning and management student from Ballinger, said representing Beta Theta Pi was a full-circle moment. He said his grandfather, uncle and father were all Betas, and encouraged him to continue the legacy when he rushed.
“These are people that are pushing you to be the best version of yourself,” Arrott said. “They were telling me, ‘If you keep getting one percent better each day, this is going to be something that you have a good shot at senior year.’”
As Arrott and his mother, Kandace, stood in the tunnel at Gate 11 to the south endzone, he said hearing the Goin’ Band from Raiderland playing reminded him of the nostalgia of attending games since he was a baby with his family.
“I’ve been here every season. That love and support is here, and it’s a really full-circle moment where you rediscover the passion and love (like) when it was your first Tech,” Arrott said.
Despite the anticipation and tears shed both by his mother and himself, Arrott said this moment was memorable and something he’d never forget.
“It’s something I’ll obviously remember for the rest of my life, but whenever I bring my kids and grandchildren and everyone to Lubbock for a game day, get to tell them that story, that’s when it’s going to be most impactful,” Arrott said.
Boehning, a fourth-year agricultural business major from Earth, Texas representing Pi Beta Phi, said she started preparing to run for Homecoming queen as soon as she could.
She participated in S.O. Sing, studied up on niche Tech history and used her role in the Student Government Association to advance her chances.
After all the work she put in, Boehning said ultimately, the decision to be elected was not up to her.
“At that point, I knew it was out of my hands,” Boehning said. “It’s going to come down to the votes and whatever God had in store for me.”
The Homecoming king and queen have the opportunity to go into Lubbock Independent School District schools and be mentors to motivate students’ academic abilities by attending the local elementary school pep rallies in the spring.
Arrott said the most significant aspect of being king is the opportunity to foster relationships between people and build a more interconnected community.
“Just take it day by day and take nothing for granted, but appreciate every single second because it really is a blessing,” Arrott said.
Arrott and Boehning knew each other in high school, and he said they both planned to go to Tech long before their first years on campus.
“I’ve known her for a long time. We’ve been involved in different things,” Arrott said. “(She’s) always so selfless and just a great person to be around. The energy’s always there. She really does embody Texas Tech and the spirit that makes it special.”
On the morning of Homecoming, Boehning said she was already nervous, but it was waiting in the tunnel with her father as the game clock ticked down when the suspense truly began to build.
“My dad, he has a very calming presence, and I was super thankful to get to go out there with my dad,” Boehning said.
Regardless of the outcome, Boehning said she relied on her support system more than anything else. She said being able to make her parents proud after winning was reflective of the hard work they put into raising her.
“I saw her (Boehning’s mother), that was probably the closest I got to crying just because I could tell how proud she was of me,” Boehning said. “My dad didn’t get the opportunity to go to college, and he was just standing in front of that many people, he was just amazed.”
Back in her small town of Earth, Boehning said she graduated with only 28 people. She said coming to Lubbock and Tech shows that small town people can make it even in a big city.
“They’re (small town people) used to doing the hard work that it takes to make something work,” Boehning said.
Now, as Arrott and Boehning reflect on winning alongside each other, she said she’ll never forget where she came from.
“Those connections served Carter and I well throughout this week,” Boehning said. “West Texas roots really were a big factor in me and him making it as far as we’ve been.”