UF men and women lined up to strut their stuff Tuesday for the Homecoming Pageant’s 90th anniversary.
The judges chose six finalists for Homecoming queen and king: Olivia Barket, Kacy Murphree, Abby Whiddon, Carlos Gordian, Daniel Landesberg and Jayce Victor. The winners will be announced at Gator Growl.
Finalists were chosen by their performances in the casual wear and formal wear events, as well as by an interview with the judges prior to the pageant.
Josh Pittell, director of sponsorships for Gator Growl and a 20-year-old UF economics and sports management junior, said the event has always signaled the beginning of Homecoming, and it’s a great experience to watch his friends walk across the stage.
“I’ve been coming to this pageant with my parents since I was a kid,” he said. “It puts all of our best students on the stage.”
Special awards included Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic, given to Hilary Hall and Hannah Hong, respectively.
Amy Lunak, a 20-year-old UF public relations junior, said this is her first year attending a pageant, and she said she felt all the contestants did a great job on stage.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 10/30/2013 under the headline "UF Homecoming finalists selected"
Olivia Barket, left, hugs Jayce Victor as Abby Whiddon, right, hugs Daniel Landesberg on Tuesday evening after finding out they placed as finalists in the UF Homecoming Pageant, held at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday.
