On Wed., March 20, the Hunt hosted a five stage competition for select students to be voted as Mr. CUI. Students gathered at the CU Center to cheer on and vote for their favorite candidates.

This event has been a long time in the making as students have been nominating their peers and helping them to prepare for the event. The contest has come down to finalists: Stefan Bilc, Mason Dalbeck, Miles Gunnett, Frankie Ibanez, Xander Luckett, Caden Merrill, Kevin Shearer, John Simco and Nate Snyder.

These finalists were, of course, enticed by the chance to represent their school, but also secondarily, thanks to the $300 grand prize for the winner.

“I got a $280 ticket for driving with my brights on a week ago and [I] need to pay it off,” said Mason Dalbeck, senior.

“The ideal Mr. CUI would bring a ton of student engagement, fun energy, and a lot of cheering for contestants,” said Christopher Haygood, senior and Hunt coordinator.

Contrary to popular belief, the competition was not inspired by an unofficial student social page. Haygood said that “[the Hunt was] knocking around the idea before [that site] started doing their thing.”

Mr. CUI hopefuls made their impact across five different events, and chose a female undergraduate coach to help them be at their best. The winning coach also took home a prize of $150.

“To win Mr. CUI the contestants have to win two levels of the event. The first is they have to be part of the top four to pass the judges, after that it is up to the student body to vote for the winner of Mr. CUI,” said Haygood.

Prior to the events, there was no shortage of confidence among candidates. “I’m the ideal Mr. CUI because I’m a red blooded American winning machine,” said Dalbeck, channeling his inner “Talladega Nights” Ricky Bobby. “I’m also very involved in the school through ASCUI and being an RA, as well as having been an athlete the past three years. I have been around, worn a lot of hats.”

“I love the school and the people here and [I] just want to make a good impact here. I think that is deserving of being Mr. CUI,” said John Simco, sophomore. When asked why he wanted to win, he simply stated “I love winning.” Well said, John.

The first of these events was the formal wear event, where candidates were judged on how well they rocked their Sunday best. Coaches were also a part of this round as they dressed up to complete the look.

The second round was a swimsuit competition. The Hunt took a conservative approach on the swimwear options, so contestants had to get creative for this one. Dalbeck “dressed as a shark” and his coach, Natalie Annunziato, dressed as a surfer. The “Jaws” theme played dramatically over this scene.

Round three was a talent show and the finalists brought out all kinds of talents, most (or least) notably of which was Simco’s “standing.” Fans seemed to love Simco’s “less is less” approach, nonetheless.

For the talent round, Merrill, coached by Nikki Lyons, put on a stunning performance of “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling that had students and Barbie fans alike begging for more.

Round four was a group dance competition. All of the candidates were up on stage together, performing synchronized choreography.

The final round was simply the question round. Contestants were asked questions and had to answer them to the best of their ability. Fans and judges alike were able to discern the personalities of the next potential face of our school. The most memorable answer was Snyder’s decision to live in the ancient Rome era out of any time period in history.

After multiple rounds of the hottest talent at Concordia, the winner and the first ever Mr. CUI was Mason Dalbeck! Dalbeck put together a near flawless performance and deservedly went home with the crown and lifelong memories. “Those are my brothers,” said Dalbeck. “We’ve gone through intensive training. It’s a bond that’ll last a lifetime.”

After the heat of the competition cooled down, it was nothing but sportsmanship between the competitors. “I think that Mr. CUI has a chance to become a cool tradition for Concordia, and it’s pretty neat to get to be in the first one of hopefully many more to come,” said Dalbeck.

Don’t forget to congratulate Dalbeck! For more information about the Hunt, please go to https://www. cui.edu/studentlife/the-hunt. The next event that students can expect is “The Hunter Games” which will likely decide who wins the Hunt for this school year.

Tags: The Hunt

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