People walking around campus last night may have encountered an unusual scene — students screaming, running and stripping off layers of clothing.

If this were a Friday night, maybe this situation would not sound so unusual, but since it was Tuesday, many may have wondered what was going on.

Nittany Pursuit, the scavenger hunt portion of Homecoming events, began at 7 p.m. at Old Main and swept across campus, reaching locations like The Bryce Jordan Center and Rec Hall.

Despite a constant rain, wet leaves and fatigue, 25 teams with four people each followed clues to 10 different locations on campus.

Groups received 100 points for attending the event, and the team with the best time received 40 points, the second through fourth place teams were awarded 30 to 10 points respectively, said Kristie Michaels (senior-marketing), overall Homecoming chairwoman.

Teams in the event were mostly in the greek system, but any organization could participate as long as it registered for Homecoming.

The fee was $25.

Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Delta Upsilon fraternity came in first place with a time of 24:34.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and Sigma Kappa sorority placed second with a time of 28:49. Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and Phi Mu sorority came in third place, and the team of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and Chi Omega sorority placed fourth.

Other events like a lip-sync contest, window painting, the banner and float competitions are possible ways to earn points for trophies, which will be awarded on Sunday, Michaels said.

"A lot of planning went into it. We actually got started a couple of days ago. . .we're excited for it," said Kurt Maldovan (junior- architectural engineering).

Special events, operations and security committees also participated in last night's hunt.

"I applied last year and we had to go through an interview process.

We've had meetings since last spring," said Dana Kubene (sophomore-marketing).

A staff of secret security monitored the groups because in the past, some groups cheated by using cars to quicken their pace, Kubene said.

Many of the clues tested the participant's knowledge of services and locations of campus buildings.

For example, a clue to former Penn State President George Atherton's grave in front of Schwab Auditorium said "Go where a president lays, get the next clue and go on your way."

Ten groups didn't show up but most groups were still enthusiastic despite the rain.

"Rain can be fun, not really when you're waiting, but once we get started it will be exciting.

There's no pressure, it's cool and we don't usually do greek activities, so it's different from the ordinary," said Pam Earll (junior-public relations) a member of the equestrian team.