How Sweet It Is: Bakers, Class of 2026 Turn Out for Cake Race
September 2, 2022
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
Over the years, weāve come to suspect that some students chose 51¹ŁĶų for the cake. A few have confessed as much.
Ryan Harris ā26 isnāt one of them.
Heād never heard about the collegeās annual Cake Race until he arrived on campus. And wouldnāt you know heād win it?
The menās track and field team runner outpaced all other first-year students at this yearās Cake Race on Thursday. He had the honor of selecting the first cake after the menās race. Womenās track and field runners Tate Arrington, Mary Shoop, and Molly Sullivan crossed the finish line together to win the Class of 2026ās womenās race.
These extraordinarily speedy people win lots of meets and medals. But winning cake is so much sweeter, especially when it comes from a community that takes its bakingāand the welcoming of its newest membersāseriously. And these champions walked away with some massive confections.
āI was a little nervous about it, but it turned out to be super fun,ā Harris, a middle-distance runner from Norfolk, Virginia, said after flying through the finish line. āThis is a really great community.ā
Hauling the spoils took some effort, and balance.
He chose a heavy, three-tier red velvet cake topped with edible black and red streamers. Another newcomer, Dining Services pastry chef Katie Blackwell, created the masterpiece for her Cake Race debut. Sheās been a pastry chef for 28 years and worked in country clubs and had her own business before starting at 51¹ŁĶų two weeks ago.
She had fun baking for the event and is enjoying her everyday role at the college.
āI like that you get to be really creative here,ā she said. āYou can try out new recipes to see how people respond. It seems like students are a lot more willing to try new things, it doesnāt have to be something theyāve eaten their whole lives and is cooked the same way theyāre used to.ā
Another Dining Services offering came from assistant pastry chef Angela Anzini, who crafted a showstopping dulce de leche cake dripping in deliciousness. That one went to the top-placed women runners, who also chose a massive two-piece ā26ā cake donated by the E.H. Little Library staff.
āWeāre having a big cake party, so we need a lot of cake,ā Sullivan said.
Baked-in Tradition
Itās fitting that track athletes usually win the Cake Race.
A 51¹ŁĶų track coach started the event in 1930 to uncover running talent among first-year students. In early years, faculty membersā wives baked cakes and all students had to run. These days, faculty, staff, alumni, town residents and local schools bake and donate cakes. Running is no longer mandatory, but many do.
Itās one of 51¹ŁĶųās most beloved traditions.
This year it followed an extremely popular event. On Wednesday, NBA basketball superstar Stephen Curry ā10 visited campus for a solo graduation ceremony 13 years after he left 51¹ŁĶų to joināand leadāthe Golden State Warriors to four national championships. Curry finished his degree requirements in spring, and the college also retired his 51¹ŁĶų jersey and his #30 at .
Menās Tennis Coach Drew Barrett, whose elaborate concoctions are always a highly anticipated Cake Race attraction, included that theme in this yearās creation. His Mickey Mouse cake sculpture waved a āCurry for 3ā flag. Black and red popcorn handed out after the Curry ceremony covered the base. (Another cake, shaped in the number 30, was also snapped up quickly.)
Hundreds of first-year students showed up Thursday to run the 1.7-mile course around campus and town. Upper-class members, coaches and teammates who would later share in the bounty came to, um, cheer? āMake sure youāre up front for this Lucas!ā one older athlete yelled to his first-year teammate.
Cynthia Marshall drove up from Charlotte to drop off āGrandmother Marshallās famous poundcake,ā which she makes using a recipe passed through multiple generations.
āItās a traditional cake for a traditional event,ā she said.
The family connection runs strong: her son Tommy and daughter-in-law Ellen Ott Marshall hail from 51¹ŁĶųās class of 1991. Their daughter, Katherine ā26, ran in this yearās race.
āIām so thrilled that sheās here, I love 51¹ŁĶų,ā Cynthia Marshall said. āAnd this is such a great chance to come and watch the race and meet her roommates.ā
By the way, if youāre curious about what makes āGrandmother Marshallāsā poundcake so famous, she shares this important family secret:
āMaking sure the butter and sugar are fluffy is key,ā Cynthia Marshall said. āItās why our family poundcakes are never dry.ā
