On Wednesday night at Memorial Hall, the sisters of Delta Zeta sorority put on the 19th annual Mr. UK Pageant, hosted by Delta Zeta President Anne Piatt and 2017 Mr. UK Contestant and Delta Tau Delta brother Jake Baltes.

The pageant showcased 11 charismatic contestants who each represented a different campus organization. The contestants were coached by teams of women in various Greek organizations who helped them perfect their stage walks, polish their talent performances and prepare for the questioning round.

“We think it’s a lot more fun for sororities and fraternities if everyone is involved,” said Delta Zeta’s Vice President of Philanthropy Lauren Dietz. “We know the event is mainly geared toward the boys, but they need a lot of help, too.”

Dietz worked alongside Delta Zeta’s Mr. UK Chairwoman Brooklyn Del Barba and other DZ philanthropy committee members to plan and execute the pageant. Proceeds from the event benefit the chapter’s local and national philanthropy partners, the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center and the Starkey Hearing Foundation, as well as the Delta Zeta Foundation.

Delta Zeta held a series of fundraisers in the weeks before the pageant, including a Chipotle restaurant event, a penny wars competition and a Halloween-themed event at their chapter house.

“Last year we raised about $30,000 from this event so we are hoping to do the same or even better this year,” said Delta Zeta sophomore Abby Dosker.

The pageant was divided into four rounds and featured videos to spread awareness about Delta Zeta’s philanthropy. Piatt and Baltes encouraged audience members to live-Tweet throughout the pageant, and read the Tweets to the audience while judges deliberated between rounds.

The judges looked for confidence and charisma in the contestants during each round to determine who should move on to the next round to earn a chance at the title of Mr. UK.

Before Mr. UK was crowned, five titles were awarded to various contestants of the pageant for their preparation for the event and performances during the event.

Jack Stockley of Younglife won Mr. Fan Favorite, Lee Shartzer of Sigma Phi Epsilon won Mr. Photogenic, Harrison Traylor of Kappa Alpha Order won Mr. Congeniality, Ishmael James of Phi Gamma Delta won Mr. Generosity and Alex Impellizzeri of Triangle won Mr. Entertainer.

However, it was Croft Hagerty, sophomore and brother of Delta Sigma Phi, who ultimately won the judges over with his flashy formal wear, energetic dance moves and confident stage presence to be crowned Mr. UK 2018.

“It feels pretty awesome [to be Mr. UK],” said Hagerty. “Mr. UK is a great event and a great opportunity to do some philanthropy, and I am happy to be it.”