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[Photo Story] Men’s Swimming & Diving Team Wins 2020 Lip Sync Battle

Student-athletes from several teams competed in Freeman Auditorium at the third-annual Lip Sync Battle on Tuesday night, performing everything from Pitbull to High School Musical. The men’s swimming and diving team’s rendition of “Yeah” by Usher won the competition, which was hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Board and Student Nittany Lion Club.

All proceeds benefited THON, as the event gave a glimpse of what to expect at the dance marathon’s very-popular pep rally next month.

Assistant athletic director Keith Embray emceed the event and brought plenty of energy to the room from the start — not to mention some awesome fashion sense with a baby Yoda shirt.

Niki Nolte, a member of the swimming and diving team and cancer survivor who inspired the #NikiStrong movement, joined Embray on stage to share her story about what THON means to her.

Women’s basketball coach Carolyn Kieger, men’s swimming and diving assistant Steve Barnes, and the Student Body President Laura McKinney were the evening’s judge.

Kieger said she was going to rate how intense the dancing was, while Barnes focused more on the music aspect of the performance. McKinney said she wanted to see some unique personalities.

Although Troy Bolton was a basketball star, the hockey team lived up to his athlete-turned-singer status with a strong rendition of “Breaking Free” from High School Musical.

Next, the field hockey team pulled out their Apple Bottom jeans to get “Low” on the stage. They ended their performance with an exclamation point by launching a confetti cannon to close out their number.

The men’s swimming and diving team followed with the popular hip-pop song “Yeah!” by Usher. They even pulled out cups from Dunkin’ Donut to use as props and toss into the air. Their unique, jacket-and-shorts outfits proved to be enough to win them the title.

After that, a few players from the women’s hockey team entered the stage dressed as Pitbull and Christina Aguilera to perform “Feel this Moment.”

The women’s volleyball team stuck with the status quo when it performed a mashup of songs from High School Musical. The players did some gymnastic-like moves and ripped off their outer white shirts to prove they were truly breaking free.

The women’s soccer team told a familiar love story, based on the music video of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” when the team members recreated a live version of the scene. Bonus points for creativity.

The men’s fencing team started its performance with a surprise when it performed ear-splitting classic “Baby Shark” with one member dressed as a shark. Then, they somehow transitioned to a mix of songs that included “Fergalicious.”

After fencing’s diverse medley, the women’s swim team flashed their dance moves along with Nelly Furtado’s Promiscuous. The team also brought a cardboard cutout of Henry Styles to be a part of their dance. One swimmer even did a flip that caught a few teammates off guard and surely would catch Jack Frisbie’s attention.

Last but not least, arrived the winner from last year: the men’s volleyball team. The team danced to a mixture of songs, but the real highlight was the player dressed in the green bean costume and looking as if he belonged on the cover of Drake’s “Take Care” album.

After a first round of decisions, the judges decided that the men’s swimming and diving team and the women’s hockey team were the top two contenders that will re-enter the stage for the final round. After some careful examination and evaluation, men’s swimming and diving was declared the winner for this year’s lip-sync battle with the highest score of 10, 10, 9.

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