Last year’s Mr. University contest featured many talented contestants but one many people remembered was Tim Hawk and his boy band dance medley performance. Despite being only a runner up, Hawk enjoyed the experience.

“Even though I lost last year, it was really an eye-opening experience,” Hawk said. “As a freshman, I had never seen anything like it before.”

After 2010’s Mr. University contest, Hawk began to think of ideas for his next try.

“Since the night I lost, the ideas began to formulate,” Hawk said. “I came up with the Superman intro right before the competition, and I had tossed around ideas for a dance sequence until the Superbowl.”

Hawk’s intro involved his escort being held hostage by Captain Cardiac Arrest while Hawk “flew” to the stage (with the help of his friends) dressed as Superman and punched out the villain to the Superman theme song.

At the end of this year’s Superbowl, sport fans looked on curiously at a post-game episode of “Glee,” not sure what to see in it.

For Tim Hawk, however, it was inspiration. The “Glee” episode featured a mash-up of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Heads Will Roll” by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

“After the episode aired I downloaded the song,” Hawk said. “Then I watched the episode on Hulu, followed by the music video for ‘Thriller’ on Youtube.”

Hawk said that he and his friends, Japheal Bondurant and Becky Furman, choreographed the dance routine that Hawk would perform during the talent round.

Hawk performed the mash-up dance with Bondurant, Mark Maruschak, Tony Myer and Frank Aledia, and easily made it through the talent round.

“I really wasn’t nervous because we had to perform our talents the night before the competition, which I didn’t like because it ruined the surprise but it allowed me to get over any anxiety that I had,” Hawk said.

The question-answer round was where Hawk became nervous.

“I was really nervous during the final round because I was forced to answer all the questions first,” Hawk said. “Of course, afterwards I found out that they were supposed to alternate orders, but it didn’t happen.”

Despite his nervousness, Hawk was awarded the title of Mr. University after the final round.

“I was caught off guard when they announced me as the winner,” Hawk said. “The other contestants gave really good responses, and I was worried.”

Hawk said his greatest asset wasn’t his dance moves or his costumes; it was his friends.

“My friends were a huge part of the intro and the talent,” Hawk said. “If it weren’t for my friends, this interview would have been with someone else.”

Hawk looks forward to being a judge during next year’s Mr. University contest.

“I’m really looking forward to next year’s competition and see what other kinds of acts that people come up with,” Hawk said.