(U-WIRE) RALEIGH, N.C. – Amidst raucous cheers and hearty applause from the audience, Elections Commission Chair Bonnie Pierson announced results for the 2005 Spring General Elections Wednesday night on Harris Field at North Carolina State University.

Although none of the four candidates vying for the position of student body president received the majority vote required, candidates Will Quick and The Pirate Captain rose above the fray and will go head to head in a runoff election next week.

Forrest Hinton and Tommy Ozbolt will also face off next week in runoffs, with Ozbolt leaving candidate John Small behind by a two percent margin.

This semester’s election marked a record high in voter turnout, which totaled almost 27 percent of the student population, according to Pierson.

The fact was punctuated by the close to 150 students present at the announcement, several of whom where decked in anything from full pirate regalia to cardboard pirate hats obtained from the seafood chain Long John Silvers.

“I hear we got record turnout,” the Captain said. “I am nothing but impressed.”

The Captain also said he was thrilled with the prospect of participating in the runoffs and inspired by the support.

“I couldn’t be happier,” the Captain said. “The wind be in our sails. It warms our souls and carries our boats.”

Quick, who lost the popular vote to the Captain 44 to 21 percent, said that he felt good about the election results and was confident in his ability to come out on top next week.

“I felt from the beginning that I would be in the runoff, it was just a matter of who,” Quick said. “Of course I’m disappointed that I didn’t win, but the past is behind me and I’m focusing on the runoff.”

Although he said he was “surprised that The Pirate Captain had received that much support,” Quick said that he never overlooked the possibilities of the candidate during his campaign.

“I’m surprised that The Pirate Captain received that much support. I wouldn’t say that I over- or underestimated The Pirate Captain,” Quick said. “(He) was a hard factor to predict.”

Will Langley, visibly disappointed after his defeat, said that he felt the elections sparked student interest and motivated students to get out and vote.

“The Pirate Captain definitely got the student body involved,” Langley said. “I hate that he had to make a mockery of the system to make it happen.”

Langley said the students need the right person for the job, and that he hopes the Pirate Captain will realize that, if elected, the position of student body president is a “serious job.”

In an emotional address to his campaign team late last night, candidate Lock Whiteside thanked those that he said made invaluable contributions to his quest for the position.

“I’ll never forget this election,” Whiteside said. “You all had my back, and I’ll never forget that.”

Although Whiteside said he was feeling a “mixed bag of emotions,” he stated that his focus would now turn to helping running mate Tommy Ozbolt clinch the position of Student Senate president next week.

“Overall, I’m ready to keep going,” Whiteside said. “Our fight for reform doesn’t stop tonight. It has just begun.”

Hinton, who led Ozbolt in the race for Student Senate President 44 to 28 percent, said that he planned on spending the remainder of the night “revamping for next week’s runoff.”

“I’m really excited,” Hinton said. “This was definitely the best election that I’ve ever seen.”

Hinton said that the extension of the elections will provide him with an “opportunity to talk to even more students.”

Ozbolt, who said he was nervous after the announcements, was unsure about the outcome of the upcoming runoffs.

“We’ll have to see, it depends on the vote,” Ozbolt said. “If people know what they’re talking about, they’ll vote for me.”

Small, who was defeated by Ozbolt and Hinton, expressed surprise over the outcome of the elections.

After hearing the results for student body president, Small said that he thinks that the Pirate Captain is “getting in over his head.”

“He got the student body involved, but I don’t think that he is qualified for the job,” Small said.