Laura Hudspeth went for the plunge several times yesterday.

About a dozen students put all their might into dunking Hudspeth, a math professor, into about four feet of water in a dunking booth at the third annual Stresstivus event yesterday on DUC South Lawn.

About 175 students relieved their pre-finals stress by shooting peers with water guns and creating a splash by dunking faculty and staff at the event sponsored by Topperwell.

Kathryn Steward, coordinator for Health Services, said Stresstivus had its biggest turnout to date.

“This has been the best year so far,” she said. “We’ve added activities and changed the location around.”

This year there was karaoke, food, water guns, Jell-O wrestling, badminton and the crowd favorite, the dunking booth.

Steward said though some things have changed, she hopes the event still served its purpose.

“We want to offer programs for students and faculty and staff to help them unwind,” she said. “They can do things they think they don’t have time for in a fun atmosphere.”

Louisville freshman Jarvaun Lindsay said the unwinding is important, and he enjoyed the fun factor.

“I liked the dunk booth, water guns and the candy,” he said.

Lindsay said he got his mind off of finals and was also able to enjoy fellowship with other students and the good weather.

Joe Moran, adviser at Topperwell, said the event was a success, but it took work. He said it took two hours to setup, but he said it was worth it.

“It gives them a chance to take time for themselves,” Moran said.

Mandy Hallum, a sophomore from White House, Tenn., said Stresstivus was a good event for many reasons.

Her favorite event was Jell-O wrestling, and she enjoyed the Stresstivus kits which included scented Epsom salt, candy and information on how to relieve stress.

Hallum said Stresstivus can be helpful for every student.

“It’ll relax them,” she said. “So now they can go back and start studying with less pressure.”

Reach Stephanie Toone at [email protected]