The legacy of the cheer program at Trinity Valley Community College, which includes 11 national championships, has grown.
Seven individuals with ties to the program have been selected as members of the US National Team, which will represent the United States at the 11th Annual International Cheer Union (ICU) World Cheerleading Championships, USA Cheer announced earlier this week.
Competition is scheduled April 24-26 at the Walt Disney World ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.
TVCC representation on the coed squad will be:
Sabrina Garcia – a cheer squad member in 2015 and '16; currently on the cheer squad at Texas Tech.
Torrey Ollison – a cheer squad member in 2014, '15 and '16; a recent graduate of Texas Tech, where he cheered.
Matt Torres – a cheer squad member in 2016, '17 and '18; currently on the cheer squad at Texas Tech.
Terrell Cabral – a cheer squad member in 2017 and '18.
Molly McLeod – a current cheer squad member and the first true freshman to make the national team.
Vontae Johnson – current head cheer squad coach and on the cheer squad in 2011, '12 and '13.
Ed Moroney – current assistant cheer squad coach.
"It is truly an honor to see the amount of athletes that came from TVCC represent the red, white and blue," Johnson said. "Making the USA coed cheer team is extremely challenging and to have so many generating from TVCC shows the type of athletes the Valley produces.
"I am honored to be able to cheer with them all, this being my fifth year in a row and not having any of my Valley family my first three years was tough because most come in a couples from a school and had each other, while I was the wild card who they could put with anyone and make it work. So having family for my final go will be surreal and make the journey gratifying.
"We are all excited and can't wait to go and represent TVCC and the USA for the world championship."
The ICU, the worldwide governing body for cheerleading, showcases the top cheerleaders from six continents at the annual ICU World Cheerleading Championships, where at least 80 countries are expected to field teams to compete. The US National All Girl and Coed Teams have won a combined 18 gold medals in the last 10 years. More than 130 athletes tried out for the prestigious honor of representing the United States on the US National All Girl and Coed Teams.
"The athletes that make up the US National Team are among the best cheerleaders in the country, and we are proud to have them representing the United States," says Lauri Harris, Executive Director of USACheer. "We pioneered the sport of cheer, and we are proud of the athletes that have been chosen to represent us on the world stage."