Rider athlete named 2016 R Factor champion

Chris Patrick, a junior track & field athlete, was named the 2016 R Factor Champion on Sept. 30. 

Modeled after the Fox TV show The X Factor, The R Factor gives students a showcase to display their singing and other musical talents while competing against one another. From freshmen to seniors, the competitors went through a series of rounds in which they performed two duets and a final solo round. The judges hand-selected their teams in the auditions on Sept. 16 and have worked with them up until the finals. Judges included Assistant Director of Campus Life Nick Barbati and two former The X Factor contestants, Dani Knights and Trace Kennedey.

Patrick stood out among seven competitors who made it through an earlier round of auditions. A junior health care management major, he performed a duet cover song of Kanye West's All of the Lights, with original verses added alongside former R Factor champion Milika Griffiths. His second duet took place with runner-up junior Kalif Jones, as the two performed a cover of Big Sean's One Man Can Change the World. Patrick won with his original song You Can Always Go Home. 

Last year’s winner, sophomore Jo Panuccio, returned to the R Factor stage to sing a cover of Drake’s song Controlla. Also returning to the R Factor stage was previous finalist Matthew Esposito ’18 and Khalil Witt ’18. The duo performed Erase You From Me, an original song written by Esposito and Barbati, a six-time R Factor judge. Patrick will record his own version of the song, which will premiere on campus later this semester.