Among a thunderous applause Andrew Finlinson, a sophomore biology major from Smithfield, smiled and waved as he was crowned Mr. SUU for the 2017-18 school year.
Finlinson said the experience was crazy, and he initially hadn’t planned on doing the pageant.
“All of my friends pushed me to do it,” Finlinson said. “It’s just kind of surreal. It’s totally out of anything I ever thought of before.”
During the Mr. SUU pageant multiple contests competed in portions of talent, swimsuit and formal wear question and answer. The contests included: Finlinson, junior Dallin Tripp, senior Garth Frehner, sophomore Levi Jensen, sophomore Jared Rowley, freshman Jacob Francis and senior Mike Lopez.
Finlinson performed a lip-sync of “Bet On It” from “High School Musical” and Zac Efron, while other talents included: Bob Ross inspired painting and comedy by Frehner, a piano medley from Rowley and a dance performance by Francis.
Swimsuits ranged from a dolphin suit, to a mermaid’s tail, to a scuba suit. Questions during formal wear varied from favorite music to appropriate ages to allow children on social media.
Other winners of the night were Dallin Tripp for People’s Choice and Garth Frehner for Runner-up.
Former Mr. SUU Parker Hess, a senior theatre arts major from Rocky Mount, Missouri, said Mr. SUU is an important tradition at the college because having a male role model is excellent for the university.
“Mr. SUU exemplifies all the best values and qualities of the university, while sharing (SUU’s) love and spirit,” Hess said. “Those coming in, can see (him) as an example, and they can be inspired by that example.”
Hess’ piece of advice to Finlinson is to wear red on Fridays, because Hess will be watching, and shaming on his Snapchat, hessthehossk.
Check back later this week for an inside interview with the new Mr. SUU.
Story By
Samantha Burfiend
webchief@suunews.com
Photos By
Samantha Burfiend & Mitchell Quartz
