WPU Closes Campaign with Fifth-Place Effort at League Championship

Baldwin City, Kan.--The William Penn cheerleading squad improved throughout the competition, placing itself in the middle of the pack at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Saturday.

The Statesmen finished fifth out of nine squads with a final round score of 76.53 points.  Missouri Valley took home the crown with 90.00 points.

The navy and gold got stronger as the day wore on, improving on their preliminary round score of 72.06 points.

Team members included Jadin Bennett (Fr., Bloomfield, Iowa), Meah Berryman (Fr., Davenport, Iowa), Keterius Brooks (Sr., Ellenwood, Ga.), Eli Bustamante (Fr., Montezuma, Iowa), Leanna Causey (Fr., Marbury, Ala.), Jocelyn Crampton (Sr., Elkhorn, Neb.), Chris Freire  (Sr., San Antonio, Texas), Alayna Hanners (Jr., Stillman Valley, Ill.), Zoey Jones (Sr., Ottumwa, Iowa), Grace McCumber (Fr., Manitou Springs, Colo.), and Bailey Redlinger (Sr., Sigourney, Iowa).

"This team left it all on the mat, and as their coach, I could not ask for more," Head Coach Abby Reynolds said.  "They are young, determined, and they continue to push themselves to grow as athletes.  As we head into offseason, I know we will use our momentum from conference to continue to grow for the upcoming season.  Placing in the top five was a goal we had all year, and we are excited to cross that off of our list."

The all-Heart teams were also announced Saturday with Rylee Mills of Missouri Valley winning the Cheerleader of the Year honor.  Kalena Pana (MidAmerica Nazarene) and Kendall Smith (Graceland) shared Co-Coach of the Year accolades.