Shouts of joy--and some sobbing--could be heard throughout the Yard yesterday morning as first-years learned their Housing fates.

Results of the Housing lottery--in which students were randomly placed into one of the College's 13 upper-class Houses--were distributed yesterday around 9 a.m. to the self-designated "captains" of student blocking groups.

Results were also posted online.

"I was absolutely delighted and pleased to be in Quincy House," said Okwudiri N. Onyedum '02. "[When I found out], I made whoopee noises."

And Anna M. Falicov '02, who will be living in Lowell House for the next three years, said she "couldn't have asked for anything better."

Others were asking for better.

Daniel A. Rosenthal '02, who was also placed in Lowell said he was "ecstatic" when he heard the news ... noticed that not everyone was so pleased.

"We all went crazy," he said of his blocking group. "But then we saw these three girls burst into tears."

David Modigliani '02, one of Rosenthal's blockmates, said he thinks the group escaped being "Quadded" by participating in a ritual to appease the "Quad. gods." Wednesday night.

"We went from courtyard to courtyard of all the Houses we wanted to be in and sang a song to the tune of 'Piano Man,'" Modigliani said.

"It went, 'We want to live on the River, so show us you're a benevolent god...don't put us up in the Quad,'" he said.

And while Falicov's group did not perform similar rituals, they did camp outin the blocking captain's room all night to waitfor the lottery results.

After the envelopes arrived, the massesconverged on Annenberg Hall, where representativesfrom each House assailed the first-years withcandy and House T-shirts.

Andrea R. Quintana '02 said she was initiallyambivalent about being placed in Quincy butchanged her mind once she met some enthusiasticcurrent Quincy residents at lunch.

"[Our blocking group] kind of knew we'd be in aRiver house because someone had a medical excuse,so we were all sort of like, 'Okay, whatever,"'she said.

But if she entered Annenberg feelingindifferent, Quintana said, "I walked out like,'Yeah, Quincy!'"