THREE WARRIORS NAMED TO ALL-CONFERENCE, JOHNSON NAMED CHEERLEADER OF THE YEAR IN HISTORIC WHAC CHAMPIONSHIPS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - It was another year of program history made at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Competitive Cheer Championship for RCU cheer on Saturday at Aquinas, with RCU seeing its first day of at least three cheerleaders earning All-Conference honors at the event. For the first time in program history, RCU has a WHAC Cheerleader of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in freshman Ava Johnson. At the same time, seniors Brooke Wells and Autumn Gesink took home Second Team All-Conference Nominations. 

The Warriors placed sixth in the tournament in team competition, but in individual competition, they had one of their finest outings in program history. Johnson's Cheerleader of the Year award is the first WHAC Player/Athlete of the Year award earned by an RCU athlete since the 2023-24 academic year when RCU women's bowling's Sara Ritchie also took home both Player and Newcomer of the Year honors.

Gesink and Wells cap off their stellar careers with Second Team All-Conference honors, both vital to RCU's previous program record-setting WHAC Championship teams. They join four other RCU seniors who were part of another incredible season of RCU cheer - their careers celebrated during RCU basketball's doubleheader against Cornerstone in February. 

Fellow senior Katelynn Gage was nominated as RCU's Champions of Character Team representative for her leadership and support of her teammates this season. Gage also served as a critical member of several historic RCU performances. Four seniors for RCU were named to the WHAC All-Academic Team, listed below:

• Brooklyn Headrick - Senior
• Autumn Gesink - Senior
• Sera Weaver - Senior
• Brooke Wells - Senior

Hussein Murray - RCU Athletic Communications

Featured Image Courtesy of Aquinas Athletics