Lambda Chi Alpha , Alpha Gamma Delta keep their titles

BY CAROLINE CRAIN AND BRENNA DEMPSEY / Multimedia Journalists

Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Gamma Delta were crowned champions of Tarleton State University’s 2024 Yell Contest, making it their fourth and second respective victories in a row.
Lambda Chi Alpha won the small division portion of the contest with their Elvis theme. Alpha Gamma Delta triumphed in the large division with the theme of USA.

Tarleton President Dr. James Hurley sat front and center with the judges to cheer on the students.

“I think every group was phenomenal. This was the best year in terms of overall uniform, themes and sound,” President Hurley said. “The tracks were themed with the uniforms really well.”  

Both winning groups said their previous successes added high expectations for their performances.

Jared Nichols, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, felt the weight of the previous wins. 

“There was a lot of pressure on us, but we got the job done and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Nichols said.

Farmhouse were the runner-ups of the small division for the third year in a row and Kappa Delta Rho secured third place. In the large division, second and third were taken by Delta Phi Epsilon and Phi Mu, respectively.

Regardless of the outcome, the relationships grown during the process were victories themselves.

Wyatt Spivey, a member of Farmhouse, felt like he grew closer to his fraternity brothers while they were practicing for the Yell contest.

“It was a lot of work but it was a lot of fun to bond with brothers, especially as a new member,” Spivey said. “I got to meet so many really good guys and spend a lot of hours with actives, new members, and alumni from Farmhouse. It built my understanding and love for the fraternity.”

Many people went from strangers to friends through practice and preparation. 

Dillin Gerstroud, an active member of Lambda Chi Alpha, saw this growth firsthand.

“Everyone here got super close. Some people before we started didn’t know each other’s names and now we’re just so close and down on that level,” Gerstroud said. “This win definitely brought us together.”

Despite differences in size and elements,  all of the organizations agreed that preparing for and competing in the Yell Contest was no easy task.

Alpha Gamma Delta Yell director Emmie Vaughn said that their victory was definitely warranted. 

“They have put so much hard work and time and effort into it, and it is so deserved. There was not one moment where it was easy at all,” Vaughn said.

After last year’s trial run, the Corp of Cadets made their official Yell Contest debut as an organization this year.

Freshman Cadet Jeff Knapp described the preparation that went into their performance.

“It was a lot of rehearsal. We went out behind the football stadium and at like six in the morning we’d go practice,” Knapp said. “We would practice four or five times, we’d go out there and get it as loud as we can, work on the formation, come back and do it again the next day.”

One reason that many students attended Yell was simply for the experience.

Student Government Association  Vice President of Marketing Madeline Walker emphasized the event’s significance for students.

“Yell is something you can only experience, like what, four times in your life max. It’s something different, it’s something almost every Texan knows about. Not just Tarleton Texans, but the state of Texas,” Walker said. 

The contest was so highly anticipated that Wisdom Gym reached capacity before the event even began.

Lathes “Momma T” Towns reflected on the electric atmosphere in the packed gym.

“It was amazing. It was captivating. The audience, the energy, was amazing,” Towns said, “We were packed, full house. We had over 3,000 people viewing and we had over, I would say, 5,000 viewing live online.”

After the winners were announced, President Hurley and First Lady Kindall led the Snake Dance, joined by the Yell Contest champions, Tarleton Cheer, the Texan Stars, the Plowboys and a crowd of students, all moving toward the beating of the drum that followed.