The Arkansas state champion Bryant High School Cheerleading squad captured eighth place out of a field of over 400 from across the nation at the National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC).
The team, coached by Tiffany English, includes seniors Keiley Pierce (capt), Leah Skinner (co-capt), Elana Smith (co-capt), Melissa Emis, Catherine Fletcher, Hannah Guinn, Shelby Johnson, Haley McBride, and Mandy Schrader; juniors Madeline Baggett, Jordan Chadwick, Hayley Henjum, Taylor Nelson, Stephanie Pridgen, Morgan Seelinger, Shannon Spurr, and Missy Whittecar; sophomores Alex Bluemmel, Makenzie Coe, Karley Cruse, Lacee Davis, Bailey Freyaldenhoven, Hollie Harryman, Morgan Humbard, Emily Jobe, Shalynn Mills, Kelsey Reed, Bailee Seelinger, and Hannah Sellers.[more]
The Bryant Cheerleaders won the Class 7A State title in competitions held in December, 2008, finishing ahead of Springdale Har-Ber, Van Buren, and Fayetteville which finished second through fourth, respectively.They thus earned their second consecutive trip to the NHSCC held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The competition was televised by ESPN and ESPN2.
Competing in the Super Varsity division, Bryant earned advancement to the semifinals with the third highest score in the preliminary round. The two two teams (with the highest scores) in each preliminary round advanced straight to the finals.
Meanwhile, in the semifinals, Bryant once again earned the third highest score, earning a bid to the final round where they finished eighth out of the 12 best teams among the original 28 in the division.
“The squad performed outstanding,” stated English. “They represented their school and state proudly.”
