After nearly a year of planning, Junior Panhellenic and Junior IFC presented WSU’s first Mr. Greek Pageant. It was a night of swimwear and dress suits as fraternity men competed for the crown.

Various junior councils are made up of younger Greek students who typically do smaller projects around campus. However, this year, the councils wanted to do something big, said Kalen Olson, a Panhellenic new member and senior communication major. By throwing this event, the councils are able to help their chosen beneficiary, the YMCA in Pullman, and also give the members leadership experience.

“It’s exciting to see these young leaders putting on such a large event,” said IFC President Jesse Hubbard, a senior biochemistry major. The men opened the event with a choreographed dance to “Party in the USA.” Next was beachwear where the men strutted their stuff. With outfit combinations of sombreros and speedos, the contestants kept the audience laughing. Meanwhile, masters of ceremonies David Cuthbert and Chelsey Roos announced each participant’s hobbies. Some included snuggling and watching “The Notebook.” The judges said the creativity was unbelievable and unexpected. The panel included Panhellenic members, the captain of Crimson Girls and the head of the YMCA in Pullman.

Judge Sarah Hanks, executive director of the Pullman YMCA, made an appearance on stage to talk about how the money raised will benefit after school and leadership programs. She also urged students to get involved and help the YMCA, one of Washington state’s oldest organizations.

After beachwear, the men got a chance to demonstrate their diverse talents with musical pieces, ribbon dancing and even a scene acted out from “Twilight.” Some contestants paired up for their talents. One such performance involved helping one another do backflips, which resulted in contestant Matthew Cunningham accidentally getting flipped off of the stage. Despite this, he was able to hop back up and continue, which gained him the award for best smile.

The final aspect of the competition was formal wear. The men came on stage, escorted by ladies from several sororities and answered questions drawn from a bowl. The questions included WSU pride, the importance of philanthropies, and scholarship in the Greek community.

The judges left to deliberate and came back to crown the winner. They gave out awards to all the contestants for things like best body and most inspirational. In the end, Pi Kappa Phi’s Mason Cogle, a junior management and operations major, was announced as the winner.

“It feels good to win the first Mr. Greek, and I’m glad to represent my fraternity as a whole,” Cogle said. “I’d like to dedicate this win to our brother Luke who recently passed.” Right after the announcement, E-Drid and Dane D came on stage to perform their new Coug hit, “It’s a Crimson and Gray Thang.”