Student organizations nominate seniors for homecoming court

Homecoming brings to mind football and fall. But for some seniors, it is a chance to be crowned king or queen of the school.

Any student organization can nominate one senior to represent it, said junior Chloe Zung, president of SpiderBoard and chair of the homecoming committee.

Fourteen seniors were nominated this year--five men and nine women. Although the majority of the nominees are from Greek organizations, candidates representing the Richmond Rowdies, SpinnURs, Richmond and Westhampton college student government associations and Ngoma African Dance Company were also on the ballot, Zung said.

Non-Greeks have always been nominated and often win, Zung said. Last year's king was not involved in a fraternity, and the year before, both the king and queen were not affiliated with Greek organizations.

Erica Lomax, the SpinnURs representative, said she was honored to be nominated with such "amazing women." "Not being in a sorority makes me unique, and because I am very involved on campus, I'm fortunate enough to have many outlets of support. I want to represent all students, Greek or unaffiliated," she said.

Kappa Alpha Order member D.R. Ball said he was looking forward to the entire week of homecoming. Ball, who is the senior class chair for RCSGA and was previously the rush and social chair for his fraternity, said he was excited to be nominated alongside such active leaders in the Richmond community.

"I hope to pull out the win, but any of these guys deserve it," Ball said.

Nicole Booth, the Pi Beta Phi nominee, said it meant a lot that her sorority chose to nominate her out of all the senior sisters.

"It's honestly a true testament to the friends I have made within Pi Phi," Booth said.

Pi Phi president Katie Oberkircher said the women in her sorority had been encouraged to nominate someone who would represent their chapter well.

"Nicole is so relatable and has gotten close to girls from each pledge class," Oberkircher said. "They all know and love her, so it was an obvious choice."

The homecoming tradition has been at University of Richmond for at least 30 years, Zung said. The event has varied over the years, but the one consistent feature has been the king and queen nominations.

Homecoming begins Monday, Oct. 28, and lasts the entire week, with each night featuring a different event. A game show was held at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, in Ukrop Auditorium, where attendees cheered on the homecoming court nominees who were the contestants in the show, Zung said.

All Richmond students could vote for the king and queen at from Monday, Oct. 28, until Wednesday, Oct. 30. The winners will be announced and crowned homecoming king and queen at the football game against the University of Albany at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.

Contact reporter Renee Ruggeri at renee.ruggeri@richmond.edu