Connell Crabtree and McKenzie Schmoll captured the titles of Mr. and Ms. Linfield in an entertaining, lively competition.

As a part of the homecoming festivities, students and alumni gathered in the swelteringly hot Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Friday, Sept. 11, for the event.

Mr. and Ms. Linfield is an annual competition in which students show off their Wildcat spirit and compete for the coveted honor.

This year the contestants were McKenzie Schmoll, Connell Crabtree, Morgan Gerke, Hayden Richardson, Morgan Scarbrough, and Bruce Li.

The competition was divided into three parts and a panel of judges determined the winners. Alex Ogle and Mikenna Whatley emceed the event that was sponsored by ASLC.

First was the interview portion, two questions, one serious and one silly, were put to the contestants.

Questions like, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” “What are you the most proud of and why?” “What would you most like to dive in a pool of?” were all answered with the utmost sincerity.

Next came the anticipated talent portion in which each candidate showed off their specific expertise.

Li’s passion for filmmaking was on display as he showed the trailer of the movie he helped create.

Richardson sang and recruited some of his friends to perform in a hilarious sketch to the music.

Gerke sang and played guitar to a country song.

Scarbrough sang and had a friend play guitar though half-way through her performance, she forgot her lyrics but rallied in the end.

Schmoll performed the rap song “Trap Queen” on guitar. It proved to be delightfully different and entertaining.

Crabtree won the talent portion with his performance of the hit “Let it Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” on the viola. He was pleasantly surprised that his performance sparked a spontaneous sing-along.

The last section was the spirit contest where participants showed their Linfield school pride in a variety of ways.

Li shared his journey to Linfield which began in his hometown, an island close to Guam. He said, “I’m here and loving every bit of it.” He then went on to reveal and demonstrate his ability to open a can with only his teeth.

Crabtree compared his experience of college to that of a ride on a roller-coaster and led a simulation of a roller-coaster ride with the audience.

“It’s been my lifelong dream to become a cheerleader,” explained Gerke. She then confessed that she has coordination problems and can’t even do a somersault.

Gerke fulfilled her dream and performed a short cheer with the cheer team. She was charmingly a little off count but the crowd went wild at her effort.

Richardson and two peers showed their school spirit by performing a humorous choreographed dance.

Scarbrough recounted her quest to find a sport she could excel in because she said, “I’m a little bit short and uncoordinated.” After several trials and much error, she settled instead for Greek life, saying, “I found my niche in Zeta.”