Who did .@ac_SGA crown as your new Mr. Assumption?

By: Sara Heath

As about 130 students filed into the Laska Gymnasium on Saturday, November 22, nine of Assumption’s finest were waiting back stage, preparing for the competition of lifetime. Tonight they’d be competing for the coveted title of Mr. Assumption, an event sponsored by the Assumption College Student Government Association.

The pageant’s contestants, Darius Daniels, Miguel Duarte, Christian Malarsie, Kevin Swenson, Patrick Ryan, Anthony Iannone, Zack Szymkowicz, John Brand IV and Matt Drummond, each competed in the formal wear, beach wear, talent and interview portions of the event.

Although the talent competition displayed a myriad of hidden gems in the Assumption Community (I tip my cap to Patrick Ryan for his piano rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”) frontrunners started to appear. Between Miguel Duarte’s humility, Christian Malarsie’s comedy and Anthony and Matt’s smooth charisma on the stage, this was making out to be some stiff competition.

And then, during the interview portion of the competition, Anthony solidified himself as the competition’s favorite to win.

And his answer?

“I’d wish for all the younger kids out there to stay true to who they are… for all the evil to  not be here… [and] for everyone to know that they are loved and they are never alone.”

After the interview portion, the hosts, senior Tony Fierimonte and junior Lauren McCarthy, explained to the audience that the winner would be selected by a combination of judges’ scores and votes text messaged in from the audience.

And so the texting commenced.

Tony and Lauren approached the stage once more to call out the contestants one final time. After they all lined the back of the stage, and the tension in the room was sufficiently high, they announced the runner up, freshman Matt Drummond.

Matt smiled to the crowd, accepted his prize gift basket, and stepped back in line. The air in the room was filled with eagerness and intensity as the audience awaited the crowning of their next Mr. Assumption. A drum roll sounded, and Student Government Association President Nicole Breen announced the winner, junior Anthony Iannone.

As a part of his duties as Mr. Assumption, Anthony will go on to represent the College at the Mr. Worcester Pageant held at the start of Spring semester. At the Mr. Worcester Pageant, Anthony will be competing against other pageant winners from the colleges in the Worcester Consortium.