Five female and five male West Virginia University students have been selected for 2009 Homecoming court. Now, they will compete for the crown.

Homecoming queen candidates are: Lauren Biafora, Morgantown; Katie Gatian, Morgantown; Casey Hughes, Bruceton Mills; Kori Dee Korczyk, Beckley; and Megan Anne Liberatore, Scott Depot .

Homecoming king candidates are: Clayton Allison, Clarksburg; *Frank Cox, Chester; Zachary Gottfried, Boca Raton, Fl. ; Jared Ramsey, Morgantown; and Jeffery Upson, Harrisburg, Pa.

The candidates will begin campaigning at midnight on Oct. 12 and will end at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 19. Voting will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 20-22 via the MIX (Mountaineer Information Xpress) system.

The entire court will participate in the Homecoming parade down High Street, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 23.

The 2009 Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during a halftime ceremony at the WVU-Connecticut football game, which is on Oct. 24 at Milan Puskar Stadium.

A brief bio for each candidate follows:

Homecoming Queen Candidates:

Lauren Biafora is a senior public relations major from Morgantown. She is an active sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, where she serves as the public relations chair. Biafora is also a member the National Pan-Hellenic Council. She headed up formal sorority recruitment for the entire campus this fall. Biafora was recognized as a Panhellenic Council Outstanding Scholar, a recipient of the Golden Key Award and has also earned a place on the dean’s list. She will be graduating a semester early this December. Biafora’s community services include Stepping Stone Miracle Ball Committee, WVU Children’s Hospital Gala volunteer and a Red Cross blood donor. She is sponsored by Kappa Kappa Gamma. Her parents are David and Patti Biafora.

Katie Gatian is a senior mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Morgantown. She is a member of Chi Omega sorority and is currently serving as their president. Gatian is a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honorary and Sigma Gamma Tau aerospace engineering honorary. She has made the dean’s list three times, and the president’s list three times. She is also a two year member of WVU’s Microgravity Research team, and was excited to travel with the team to Houston in August to fly their experiment aboard a Zero-G aircraft. Gatian has also been involved in WVU’s Dance Marathon since her freshman year and is looking forward to being a morale captain again this year. Gatian is sponsored by Chi Omega. She is the daughter of Jim and Kelli Gatian.

Casey Hughes is a senior sport and exercise psychology major from Bruceton Mills. She is the vice president of the Sport and Exercise Psychology Club, and the outreach/event coordinator for Phi Epsilon Kappa Honors Fraternity. She is a member of the WVU All-Girl Competitive Cheerleading Club and the Mountaineer Maniacs. She is a recipient of the PROMISE Scholarship and the Marvin “Bucky” Bolyard Scholarship. She has also been named to the dean’s list. Hughes volunteers at Chestnut Ridge Church as a KidStuff dance coach. She is also a member of 17Three which is the college ministry. She is a leader of 17Three’s Bible Study Curatio Canvas Group. Through her church, she has volunteered with the Ronald McDonald house, helped with statewide youth rallies and food drives. She works at CTA High Flyers in Morgantown, as the head coach of the Mini All-Star Competitive Cheerleaders. Hughes is sponsored by the Sport and Exercise Psychology Club. She is the daughter of William and Penney Hughes.

Kori Dee Korczyk is a senior interior design major from Beckley. She currently serves as the president of the American Society of Interior Designers. She has been on deans list from 2007-09 and was named an outstanding senior. Her achievements include participating in Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford University, studying abroad in London and completing an internship at B.L. Interiors in Morgantown. She is sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers. Korczyk is the daughter of Douglas and Nancy Korczyk.

Megan Anne Liberatore is a senior elementary education major with a specialization in early childhood development from Charleston. She is active on the Student Education Association and Mountaineer Maniacs. She has volunteered with Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Salvation Army and St. Francis of Assisi. Liberatore is a recipient of the PROMISE Scholarship and WVU Achievement Award. She was on the dean’s list in the spring of 2006, president’s list during the fall of 2006, fall and spring of 2007, 2008 and during the spring of 2009 . Her GPA is 3.96. She is also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society. She is sponsored by the Student Education Association. She is the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Liberatore.

Homecoming King Candidates: *

Clayton Allison* is a senior exercise physiology major from Clarksburg. He has been a WVU cheerleader since his freshman year and has been a three year letter winner. He is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He is sponsored by WVU Cheerleading. He is the son of Dalinda Lemaster.

Frank Cox is a senior multidisciplinary studies major with concentrations of business, leadership and entrepreneurship from Chester. He is an aspiring professional golfer who works for Pikewood National Golf Club and volunteers for the American Red Cross. He has also been an intern with the WVU Soccer team, a 2008 finalist in the West Virginia State Business Plan Competition a member of the WVU Golf Club, Leadership Studies Student Association and is a volunteer basketball coach for the Oak Glen Middle School basketball team. Cox is sponsored by the WVU Golf Club. He is the son of David and Cynthia Cox.

Zachary Gottfried is a senior athletic coaching education major from Boca Raton, Fl. He has worked with the Mountaineer football team as a student assistant coach for the past four years. His hard work earned him an invitation to assist the coaching staff at the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. He also worked at various college football camps around the country. Gottfried is a founding member of WVU’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu. He has also volunteered for the Alzheimer’s Association. He is sponsored by Sigma Alpha Mu. He is the son of Jeff and Jill Gottfried.

Jared Ramsey is a senior finance major from Morgantown. As a WVU student, he has been actively involved in the Student Government Association, serving two terms on the Board of Governors and currently serving as treasurer. He is also involved in the WVU Finance Club and Mountaineer Maniacs, where he serves on its Executive Board. Ramsey was on the dean’s list for the fall and spring of 2007 and spring of 2009. He is a West Virginia PROMISE Scholar. Ramsey is sponsored by the Mountaineer Maniacs. He is the son of Ken and Connie Ramsey.

Jeffery Upson is a senior criminology and investigations major from Harrisburg, Pa. He is currently president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, through which he participates in a variety of community service and philanthropic activities. He is also a member of the St. Johns University Catholic Parish. He was a graduate of the 2008 Charles Walgreen, Jr. TKE Leadership Academy and has made the dean’s list several times. Upson has also worked as an intern with the Monongalia County Victim Witness Assistance Program, and he is currently a student counselor in WVU’s Communications Department. He is sponsored by Tau Kappa Epsilon. He is the son of Tom and Anne Marie Upson.

For more information on 2009 Homecoming, visit http://homecoming.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

cd/10/08/09

CONTACT: Colleen DeHart, News and Information Services
304-293-5507, Colleen.Wright@mail.wvu.edu