WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – West Liberty University had their annual Topper Idol competition, where contestants sing new songs each week of February for the chance to win a cash prize. The final round happened this Tuesday, February 24th at 7 p.m.
The three finalists, Avery Hall, Emily Jones, and Ashton Cornell, had to sing two songs: one Disney themed, and the other a song of their choice.
This year, there was not just a cash prize for first place, but each of the top three were given money. Third place was given $250, second $500, and first place received $1,000.
Before the competition began, Joe Rodella, Chief Information Officer, gave a speech and held a moment of silence for the recent passing of Professor Mike Blackwell, an Accounting and Business Instructor who had worked at the university since 2004.
There were two sets of intermissions for the night to give the judges, Dr. Susane Williams, Andrew Lewis, and Rodella, time to score the performances of each song.
On the other three nights, hosts Mason Stoll and Joy Deaton played games with the crowd to keep everyone entertained.
However, on the final night, we got special guest performances by past Topper Idol Winners Tiffany Sites and Jamie Fowler, who performed songs from Chappell Roan and Guns ‘N Roses.
After the last guest performance, the host announced the final rankings:
Third Place: Ashton Cornell
Second Place: Emily Jones
First Place: Avery Hall
That was the end of Topper Idol 2025! Special thanks to Student Life, the sound crew, and Sarah Fonner for making the event possible and doing work behind the scenes.
Here are some photos from the past two weeks of competition.
