The 2017 edition of Waynesburg Idol wrapped up Friday, Sept. 29, and freshman sports broadcasting/sports information major Jonah Phillip was crowned the winner.

While Phillip and plenty of other new faces performed throughout the three-round competition, the past two WU Idol winners returned as well.

For as long as she can remember, singing and performing on stage has been a big part of Mattie Winowitch’s life. While at Elizabeth Forward high school, she was in multiple choirs and was a lead role in several school musicals dating back to middle school.

When Winowitch came to Waynesburg University as a freshman in the fall of 2015, her friend and current roommate, Veronica Steen, decided to pursue WU Idol together.

Opening night, despite having a lot of experience performing in front of crowds, Winowitch was tense.

“I was nervous, really nervous first starting out,” Winowitch said. “I was a freshman, not really sure of myself yet…obviously, I was trying hard to win, and I was nervous about what people would think.”

Her performance of “Royals” by Lorde was well received by the audience, so much so that, before the night was through, people who saw her performance flooded her Facebook wall with friend requests according to Winowitch.

After performing “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus the next week, Winowitch made it to the final round.

Although she felt encouraged about the first two weeks, Winowitch was still uneasy heading into the finale.

“I was still nervous,” said Winowitch. “There were a lot of talented people I was up against, and the game was really anyone’s. Especially because I knew that there were a lot of popular people performing, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out because I was just a freshman, I didn’t really know anyone…I just was going into it with a positive mindset. I was excited.”

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Like Winowitch, music has long been important to Harrison Scott. When the sophomore biochemistry major was in the first grade, Scott began taking piano lessons, before taking up the French horn as his main instrument a few years later. When Scott’s teacher could no longer teach him the instrument, he asked Scott if he wanted to switch to voice lessons.

Scott agreed and started training his voice in middle school. Throughout high school, Scott performed in several music ensembles.

Scott arrived at Waynesburg last fall, and soon after, began seeing posters for that year’s WU Idol. Although Scott was intrigued, he initially didn’t think it was up his ally.

“I saw the posters everywhere, and I was like ‘what a cool competition’, but [I didn’t think it was for me,]” said Scott.

Then, one night, Scott was doing homework with two friends who were also going out for the competition, Megan Cook and Kayla Coughlin, who were then sophomores, when they encouraged him to audition. Eventually, Scott agreed to give it a try and ended up making it to round one.

For Scott, the scariest thing about his for WU Idol debut wasn’t performing, but instead choosing a number that fit the occasion.

“The biggest thing would be song choice,” said Scott. “I had no idea what I was going to pick.”

Scott picked “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble for the first round, inspired by the theme of the night’s show, which was “guilty pleasure.”

Scott made it to the next week, which was a Disney themed show. For round two, Scott performed “Out There” from the “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” After the dust from the first two weeks had settled, Scott was one of four contestants that progressed to the final round.

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As the finale of the 2015 edition of WU Idol got underway, Winowitch was one of the final four. With her family and friends in the front row, she performed “At Last” by Etta James. The results were in, and Winowitch was announced as the winner.

“It was unbelievable,” said Winowitch. “I think [WU Idol] was a really awesome experience… I just couldn’t believe it… I just had so much fun, and it was a great opportunity to kind of get to know everyone and introduce Mattie Winowitch to the campus of Waynesburg.”

Coming into last year’s finale, Scott chose to perform “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban. Scott said that it was a number that was different from “the excitement” of his first two number. After he completed the song, Scott began to think about winning the competition for the first time. When Scott found out that he had won, along with the rest of the audience, he was thrilled.

“Obviously, [I felt] exhilarated,” said Scott. “It was really cool when the rest of the competitors cheered me on as well. That was the most meaningful thing. There was no air of competition whatsoever. The audience was encouraging…we were just having a good time.”

This year, during the Disney themed night of WU Idol, Scott and Winowitch performed a duet of “Love is an Open Door” from Frozen. For Scott, it was a lot less nerve-racking this time around. “I was happy to come back this year,” said Scott. “I was excited to just sort of relax, not have to worry about anything. I got to encourage all the competitors who were in it this year, and it was great to hear their song choices and to hear them sing as well.”

Looking back, both Scott and Winowitch felt that their experience in WU Idol helped them to become more known around campus.

“I would see people on campus, and they would be like ‘oh my gosh, you’re a singer,’ obviously I never really know how to react to that because I’m a just a humble person, so I don’t take compliments well sometimes. Stuff like [WU Idol] really helped me get a lot of friends… not exactly close best friends, but it allowed me to put more faces to names and more people knew who I was.”

To Scott, becoming more well-known served as an opportunity to impact more people.

“I typically am an outgoing, encouraging guy,” said Scott. “If I catch somebody’s eye, I’m going to say hello to you. Just because I believe in the power of a smile, no matter what kind of day someone is going through, even a smile can encourage somebody… It was definitely a good way to snatch an opportunity to get to know the campus, and show people that I’m more than just a performer, that I love to help people much more beyond music or academics.”

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Although he is less than two weeks removed from winning the competition, Philip already feels that his experience is easing his college transition

“It’s already helping a lot,” said Phillip. “I feel a lot more confidence when I walk around. It’s also a great way for people to know you because there are tons of people who put me out on social media. From that, people get to know you, they recognize your face, and it’s great because in a small campus, in the time you’re here, you want to impact as many people as you can,” said Philip.

Overall, Winowitch sees WU Idol as a chance for students to make themselves known.

“If you have a talent or if you want to showcase your own talent and really come out of your shell,” Winowitch said. “College is that time where you’re supposed to break out and try something new. I think [WU Idol] is a great opportunity for that.”