The UNK homecoming coronation took place Thursday at the 33rd annual lip sync competition. The contest drew a crowd of students and community members to the Health and Sports Center.
DJ Hardwick and Holly Rockenbach were crowned the 2021 homecoming king and queen.
“It’s super exciting,” Rockenbach said. “UNK has offered me so many opportunities, and I’m so grateful to represent this Loper community.”
Hardwick represented the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and Rockenbach represented Alpha Omicron Pi.
Among the finalists for homecoming royalty were Nate Grimm, Kobe Lo, Landon Seibert, Grace Koubeck, Jazmin Matias-Trejo and Emily Saadi.
Before the coronation, the lip sync contest had the crowd on the edge of their seats.
The team consisting of Phi Delta Theta, Gamma Phi Beta and Lambda Theta Nu won the competition with 250 points while the Christian Student Fellowship team took second place with 220 points. Sigma Tau Gamma, Alpha Omicron Pi and Sigma Lambda Gamma came in third, and Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Phi and Sigma Lambda Beta ended in fourth place.
“It was very nerve racking because we had to wait until the very end to go,” said Cat Boyce, a member of the winning team. “I want to do it again for sure.”
All teams worked to incorporate the theme “Searching for Blue and Gold” in the performance. Students dressed as pirates, construction workers and islanders to dance and create the storyline of each performance.
UNK graduate and current Hits 106 morning show host Austin Jacobson emceed the event. In between lip sync performances, the event also featured words from head Loper football coach Josh Lynn as well as performances from the UNK Sapphires, cheer team and drumline.
The Loper Programming and Activities Council organized the event and awarded scholarships to LPAC members Olivia Koehnig and Josephine Brink.
The lip sync competition is the fun cornerstone of UNK homecoming week.
“Lip sync is just a ton of fun,” said Phoebe Dunbar, a member of the Christian Student Fellowship team. “It’s fun to get together and learn the dances. We put a lot of effort in so we were hoping for first but content with second for sure.”
