Memorial Auditorium came to life Friday night during APB’s “Ship’s Got Talent.” Despite the late start to the show, the large crowd was excited to hear and watch what Shippensburg University students had to perform. 

The event kicked off with a piano performance of “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr., played by Lauren Mantz. The performance had an unexpected twist —Mantz played the song while blindfolded, earning thunderous applause at the end. 

Next up was Caitlin Marron, who sang “Think of Me” from the musical “Phantom of the Opera.” Marron even dressed as one of the characters from the show, Christine Daaé. 

Following Marron was a performance of “Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder, sung by Caniah Mayo. After another round of applause, the next student to sing was Hersha Erumbassey, who sang a medley of love songs.

Next up was I’zaa Reyes-Vega, who performed his original song “Late Night.” The performance amped up the crowd, with most people waving their phone flashlights along to the song. After this, Ellie Lawson brought another twist to the show with her performance of “Despacito” on a steel drum. 

The last act before intermission was performed by Ship’s Elite Modeling Troupe, amping up the crowd even more as they strutted across the stage to Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts.” 

After intermission, Deontay Somerville was up next, singing “All of Me” by John Legend. Somerville was encouraged by the crowd, who sang the words back to him.

Next up was an energetic performance of “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift, sung by Haylie and Rylie Kurilla. With Jordan Peters playing guitar, they both sang and danced around the auditorium, earning excited cheers and applause. 

Following this was Abbie Morgan’s performance of “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, but she was not another singer. She played the song on a fiddle, thoroughly impressing the crowd. 

After Morgan’s performance came the energetic Heritage Dance Club, drawing excited cheers from the crowd. The group performed a medley of songs, most of which the crowd sang along to. 

The show ended with a drag performance to “Take Me Home” by Cher, performed by Thomas Landis. The audience gave overjoyed cheers and applause as Landis strutted and posed around the stage. 

The judges then decided what groups were going to win. 

In third place was Elite Modeling Troupe, winning a check of $150. In second was Haylie and Rylie Kurilla and Jordan Peters, winning $250. Finally, in first place was Heritage Dance Club, winning a check of $600, bringing the night to an energetic and exciting close. 

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