Meet The Team: Morehead State University
Meet The Team: Morehead State University
College cheerleading tryouts are underway, meet the 2017-2018 spirit squads from Morehead State University!
Competition season is over, and we all know what that means. It's time for college cheerleading and dance tryouts! College teams will be holding tryouts in hopes of finding top-notch athletes to make up their 2017-18 squads.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT344iPDhUe/?taken-by=msu_cheer" hide_caption="0"]
Morehead State University, a 41-time national champion, was one of the first colleges on our radar to hold its cheerleading tryouts. We caught up with Eagles head coach Mark Coleman to hear more about the new team and the MSU tryout process!
Coleman: Well, first and foremost, I am looking for cheerleaders that possess elite college skills -- stunting and tumbling. To cheer at Morehead State University through the years, a cheerleader has always had to excel in at least one of those areas.
Now, I am looking for balanced athletes that are elite in both areas. You can stunt at a very high level? Great, but I also need you to tumble at a high level. And if I had to choose one of those characteristics, I would choose tumbling. We can train someone to stunt at an elite level much faster than we can teach them to tumble at an elite level.
In addition, I am looking for humble, hard-working athletes with a discipline and drive that sets them apart. The Morehead State cheer program is filled with talented athletes, almost all whom were the best cheerleaders of the programs from which they came.
The Morehead all-girl squad poses for a picture after their first practice of the 2017-2018 season.
To excel in this program, where everyone is talented, one must have an undeniable sense of purpose and an unquenchable desire to be the best. Thus, I am looking for the 'first one in, last one out' types of cheerleaders. I am looking for athletes that are not satisfied with a skill until it is PERFECT. I also want athletes that are humble. The best athletes in my opinion do not normally talk a lot, because they are too busy working.
Everything that I do with the Morehead cheer program goes back to our founder, Myron Doan. I just want to make him proud and do everything in my power to ensure that his legacy of excellence lives on. So, I always bring back Morehead cheer alumni to be our tryout judges to ensure that the values and traditions that Myron built this program with are communicated clearly and continued.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPSXYB-APms/?taken-by=msu_cheer" hide_caption="0"]
Morehead cheer has been dominant for almost 30 years, and I try to have judges from each era come judge tryouts. I do this so that current cheerleaders can connect with the athletes who came before them. I want the current MSU cheerleaders to know the faces and names of some of the people that helped hang the banners in our practice room.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT344iPDhUe/?taken-by=msu_cheer" hide_caption="0"]
Morehead State University, a 41-time national champion, was one of the first colleges on our radar to hold its cheerleading tryouts. We caught up with Eagles head coach Mark Coleman to hear more about the new team and the MSU tryout process!
I am already looking forward to Nationals season and putting together our routines for 2018!"I am super excited about our MSU cheer teams for this upcoming season! Entering my fifth season as the head coach here are Morehead State, we have never had so much talent on both teams since I have been here -- especially in the terms of tumbling," Coleman said. "Elite stunting will continue to be a strength for both teams next year, but both teams are also loaded with lots of tumbling skills."
FloCheer: What are some key factors you look for when choosing new members for each squad?
Coleman: Well, first and foremost, I am looking for cheerleaders that possess elite college skills -- stunting and tumbling. To cheer at Morehead State University through the years, a cheerleader has always had to excel in at least one of those areas.
Now, I am looking for balanced athletes that are elite in both areas. You can stunt at a very high level? Great, but I also need you to tumble at a high level. And if I had to choose one of those characteristics, I would choose tumbling. We can train someone to stunt at an elite level much faster than we can teach them to tumble at an elite level.
In addition, I am looking for humble, hard-working athletes with a discipline and drive that sets them apart. The Morehead State cheer program is filled with talented athletes, almost all whom were the best cheerleaders of the programs from which they came.
The Morehead all-girl squad poses for a picture after their first practice of the 2017-2018 season.
To excel in this program, where everyone is talented, one must have an undeniable sense of purpose and an unquenchable desire to be the best. Thus, I am looking for the 'first one in, last one out' types of cheerleaders. I am looking for athletes that are not satisfied with a skill until it is PERFECT. I also want athletes that are humble. The best athletes in my opinion do not normally talk a lot, because they are too busy working.
How do you ensure the Morehead legacy lives on year after year?
Everything that I do with the Morehead cheer program goes back to our founder, Myron Doan. I just want to make him proud and do everything in my power to ensure that his legacy of excellence lives on. So, I always bring back Morehead cheer alumni to be our tryout judges to ensure that the values and traditions that Myron built this program with are communicated clearly and continued.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPSXYB-APms/?taken-by=msu_cheer" hide_caption="0"]
Morehead cheer has been dominant for almost 30 years, and I try to have judges from each era come judge tryouts. I do this so that current cheerleaders can connect with the athletes who came before them. I want the current MSU cheerleaders to know the faces and names of some of the people that helped hang the banners in our practice room.
It's important that this generation of Morehead cheerleaders know some of the people whom we are honoring when we say that we do it 'For The Ones Before Us.'
Morehead State University 2017-18 Coed Squad
| Males | Females |
|---|---|
| Christopher Boswell | Ashley Aquilina |
| Jackson Chase | Jessie Ayala |
| Mitchell Cotton | Sophie DeJulius |
| Tyler Dunlap | Korey Gregg |
| Ian Grimes | Courtney Hammer |
| Matthew Hartley | Lakin Householder |
| Asad Irfan | Allie Johnson |
| Collin Johnson | Raven Marti |
| AJ Kim | Shannon Merrill |
| Leo LeClair | Shannon Mohesky |
| Nick Lutz | Amber Pappas |
| John Murphy | Brianna Porter |
| Christopher Pereyra | Lexi Ryan |
| Gary Rapp | Erin Staley |
| Dalton Sanders | Kayleigh Stevens |
| Ryan Stock | |
| Evan Smith | |
| Tyler Terron | |
| Dustin Velazquez | |
| Isiah Welch-ebarb | |
| Drake Wiseman | |
| Ryan Yakubek |
Morehead State University 2017-18 All-Girl Squad
| Sidney Barnett | Kristen Mayes | |
| Emerson Bosley | Taylor Mills | |
| Sarah Brake | Ally Minson | |
| Essence Brown | Kayla Montaniz | |
| Shannon Burns | Jenna Morfogen | |
| Kendall Calmes | Adia Mudd | |
| Bailey Cheek | Abigal Neumann | |
| Alana Christian | Madison Paige | |
| Brianna Clark | Carley Peca | |
| Cassidy Coleman | Macy Ridener | |
| Alyssa Daigle | Rikki Riffe | |
| Kenzi Dalton | Emilee Rodriguez | |
| Abi Fuller | Emily Rodgers | |
| Lizzy Garcia | Kayla Rucker | |
| Logan Girves | Mikaela Sadler | |
| CiCi Hall | Shelby Snider | |
| Hailee Hannick | Courtney Stack | |
| Rachel Johns | Tyler Thomas | |
| Tori Jolly | Priscilla Thorn | |
| Abby Lawson | Jasmine Wilson | |
| Bethany Maines | Dakorria Winstead | |
| Peyton Maki |