Wildcats Shine At 2016 S.A.A.C. Student-Athlete Talent Show
3/11/2016 12:01:00 PM | General, Academic Services & Student Development, King NU P.R.I.D.E. Program
EVANSTON, Illinois – Acts from Wildcats baseball, lacrosse and volleyball took home awards at the 2016 Student-Athlete Talent Show, presented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.), on March 7 at Cahn Auditorium. Proceeds from the event contributed to more than $6,500 raised by student-athletes in support of 2016 Northwestern Dance Marathon beneficiary Blessings In A Backpack this year.
Seniors Austin Carr of the football team, and Spring Sanders from lacrosse hosted the show. The night opened with a video montage of their exhaustive training for the role, preparation that paid off throughout the evening as they entertained the audience, interviewed acts and had the honor of presenting the show's awards at the conclusion.
But the decision on who deserved those awards was left to the show's three judges; Deputy Director of Athletics Brian Baptiste, Assistant Director of Athletics Jane Wagner and reigning Student-Athlete Talent Show champion Mike Trucco, a 2015 Northwestern graduate.
The trio was treated to 12 acts representing nine varsity programs, and performances that ranged from music to poetry to a fully-uniformed Rubik's Cube battle.
Monday's top overall prize went to senior Jake Stolley and freshman Jake Garbarino of the baseball team, who performed an original, arranged medley of songs with the former on ukulele and the latter accompanying on tambourine.
Garbarino felt fortunate to take home top honors in his rookie year.
"I had an amazing time doing my first talent show," said the freshman. "I had no clue what to expect, but [teammate Jake Stolley and I] prepared so I'd feel confident at the show, I couldn't have done it without him. The rest of the acts were amazing, especially Austin Carr's performance. I couldn't believe it when we were called for the best overall performance, I can't wait to do it again next year."
Stolley, a mechanical engineering major with nine strikeouts in five appearances out of the bullpen for the 'Cats this season, was impressed with the lineup of this year's show, especially a musical quartet from the football team that
"The show was a blast this year," said Stolley. "My personal favorite was The Shower Cleaners, but I'm a little biased towards ukuleles. Honestly I was just up there to give the crowd a good time, but getting the award was a nice addition."
The Wildcats volleyball team earned the award "Most Creative Performance" with a toddler dance routine choreographed in time with a hip-hop assortment.
A quartet from the Northwestern lacrosse team was named "Best Group Performance". Sophomore Shelby Fredericks and freshman Kim Harker sang Sara Bareilles' "One Sweet Love" accompanied by seniors Lauren Murray and Spring Sanders on guitar.
Judge Mike Trucco shared his former teammate Stolley's admiration for the skills displayed on stage all night.
"It's a great event, I was glad I was invited back as a judge," said Trucco."This year's lineup was extremely talented and it was really hard to make a decision because, quite frankly, I was not expecting as many good acts as there were," he joked.
Other highlights of the show included a Rubik's Cube battle between senior Matt Micucci and junior Steven Shull (with Micucci in full football uniform and Shull, a swimmer, dressed for competition in the pool), an original composition played on the piano and sung by host Austin Carr, and original poetry senior swimmer Ellen Anderson.
Proceeds from the event at Cahn Auditorium benefitted Blessings In A Backpack, the philanthropic partner of Northwestern's 2016 Dance Marathon. In total, student-athletes contributed more than $6,500 this year.
"The best thing that came out of tonight was learning the student-athletes doubled their contributions from last year in support of Dance Marathon," said Shannon Fitzgerald, associate director of development for Blessings In A Backpack. "Every dollar truly counts for Blessings, so that increase is incredibly impactful for us. Raising more than $6,500 from the student-athletes is going to provide more than 60 kids with hunger-free weekends next school year. This is something everyone should be very proud of."
The show would not have been possible without the leadership of Assistant A.D. for Academics & Student-Development Maria Sanchez, and the Robert E. & Emily H. King P.R.I.D.E. Program. P.R.I.D.E. stands for Perseverance, Responsibility, Integrity, Dedication, and Education; all of which are values that guide the actions of the members of the Northwestern Athletics community.
Seniors Austin Carr of the football team, and Spring Sanders from lacrosse hosted the show. The night opened with a video montage of their exhaustive training for the role, preparation that paid off throughout the evening as they entertained the audience, interviewed acts and had the honor of presenting the show's awards at the conclusion.
Friday Feature: #B1GCats shine at 2016 Student-Athlete Talent Show.
— #B1GCats (@NU_Sports) March 11, 2016
READ: https://t.co/ead2MYLRli https://t.co/hOrXvPi4TM
But the decision on who deserved those awards was left to the show's three judges; Deputy Director of Athletics Brian Baptiste, Assistant Director of Athletics Jane Wagner and reigning Student-Athlete Talent Show champion Mike Trucco, a 2015 Northwestern graduate.
The trio was treated to 12 acts representing nine varsity programs, and performances that ranged from music to poetry to a fully-uniformed Rubik's Cube battle.
Monday's top overall prize went to senior Jake Stolley and freshman Jake Garbarino of the baseball team, who performed an original, arranged medley of songs with the former on ukulele and the latter accompanying on tambourine.
Garbarino felt fortunate to take home top honors in his rookie year.
"I had an amazing time doing my first talent show," said the freshman. "I had no clue what to expect, but [teammate Jake Stolley and I] prepared so I'd feel confident at the show, I couldn't have done it without him. The rest of the acts were amazing, especially Austin Carr's performance. I couldn't believe it when we were called for the best overall performance, I can't wait to do it again next year."
Stolley, a mechanical engineering major with nine strikeouts in five appearances out of the bullpen for the 'Cats this season, was impressed with the lineup of this year's show, especially a musical quartet from the football team that
"The show was a blast this year," said Stolley. "My personal favorite was The Shower Cleaners, but I'm a little biased towards ukuleles. Honestly I was just up there to give the crowd a good time, but getting the award was a nice addition."
The Wildcats volleyball team earned the award "Most Creative Performance" with a toddler dance routine choreographed in time with a hip-hop assortment.
A quartet from the Northwestern lacrosse team was named "Best Group Performance". Sophomore Shelby Fredericks and freshman Kim Harker sang Sara Bareilles' "One Sweet Love" accompanied by seniors Lauren Murray and Spring Sanders on guitar.
#B1GCats Talent Show Winners :
— #B1GCats (@NU_Sports) March 11, 2016
Most Creative: https://t.co/5fUvWSioOS
Top Group: https://t.co/iIsK90vDEf
Top Prize: https://t.co/z8oywEoUGe
Judge Mike Trucco shared his former teammate Stolley's admiration for the skills displayed on stage all night.
"It's a great event, I was glad I was invited back as a judge," said Trucco."This year's lineup was extremely talented and it was really hard to make a decision because, quite frankly, I was not expecting as many good acts as there were," he joked.
Other highlights of the show included a Rubik's Cube battle between senior Matt Micucci and junior Steven Shull (with Micucci in full football uniform and Shull, a swimmer, dressed for competition in the pool), an original composition played on the piano and sung by host Austin Carr, and original poetry senior swimmer Ellen Anderson.
Proceeds from the event at Cahn Auditorium benefitted Blessings In A Backpack, the philanthropic partner of Northwestern's 2016 Dance Marathon. In total, student-athletes contributed more than $6,500 this year.
"The best thing that came out of tonight was learning the student-athletes doubled their contributions from last year in support of Dance Marathon," said Shannon Fitzgerald, associate director of development for Blessings In A Backpack. "Every dollar truly counts for Blessings, so that increase is incredibly impactful for us. Raising more than $6,500 from the student-athletes is going to provide more than 60 kids with hunger-free weekends next school year. This is something everyone should be very proud of."
The show would not have been possible without the leadership of Assistant A.D. for Academics & Student-Development Maria Sanchez, and the Robert E. & Emily H. King P.R.I.D.E. Program. P.R.I.D.E. stands for Perseverance, Responsibility, Integrity, Dedication, and Education; all of which are values that guide the actions of the members of the Northwestern Athletics community.
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