The Sojourn Athlete of the Week, presented by Amplify Media, is Michalene Howard, flyer for the IWU competition cheer team.
Howard is a sophomore from Aurora, Illinois. She attended West Aurora High School.
“I did recreational tumbling from the time I was 8 to the time I was 18. I cheered in high school but never competed,” Howard.
One week before moving in, Howard reached out to the coach, who remembered her from a clinic.
“She asked, ‘can you join our comp team?’ And I was like, ‘ok,’ and now I’m here,” Howard said.
Howard spent limited time on the mat in her freshman year, but she has seen an expanded role this year.
“I wasn’t ready to compete last year at all, and there were people that were ready. I had to realize what was best for the team would be best for me as well,” Howard said.
Sophomore tumbler Kaylee Taylor acknowledges the growth and maturity she has seen in Howard since they came in together in the fall of 2023.
“The difference between last year and this year is just a boost of confidence, being able to smile, it has really taken her far this season,” Taylor said. “Without Mikey, the team wouldn’t be the same.”
This team has a unique element to it, as they are one of few teams that are co-ed in everything they do.
“We’re all really good friends. It’s never divided boys and girls, everyone’s always mixed together, which is really nice,” Howard said.
The diversity of the team allows for healthy spiritual development in small groups.
“It’s very intimate and you can get to know each other, share things that maybe you wouldn’t share in a bigger group setting, I think it’s nice in that sense,” Taylor said.
The Wildcats have finished top two in each of their first sessions this season, beginning with Wildcat Weekend in Luckey Arena, then the Marian invite at Marian University in Indianapolis.
“The environment (at Wildcat Weekend) was really good, there were a lot of people and teams there,” Howard said. “It was really fun to see other sports excited about a sport that they don’t really know much about.”
The team just competed in North Newton, Kansas for the Thresher Invitational. The Wildcats finished 3rd on Day 1 and 2nd on Day 2. The last invite before Crossroads League is the Trojan Invite in Upland, March 1 and 7.
