How We Got Here: The Cheer Squad

They flip, spot, throw, and fly. They also win championships.

Words by Kara Pothier

Top: Ariana Bazan; bottom L to R: Mackenzie Bozzomo, Hannah Devoe, and Sophia Schmidt

I have been cheering since I was 5 years old. I wanted to cheer in college, and TCNJ has such a talented group of girls. And the coaching staff is amazing. Everyone in the cheer world knows us. We are a club sport, but we practice as much as any varsity athletic team at the school. We pride ourselves on being ambassadors for TCNJ and even our state.
— Mackenzie Bozzomo ’25

People think of cheerleaders as the stereotypical popular girls or even the mean girls. They think we just cheer on the football and basketball teams. But we’re not all rah, rah. This is so much more than just being peppy and spirited. We do pyramid stunts, and we have a bottom, mid, and top layer. I am the bottom, so I sometimes hold two girls high on my shoulder. It can be dangerous, and I feel like it proves my strength.
— Hannah Devoe ’25

Our routines get scored on difficulty and execution. We are known to have difficult skills, and what we score really high on is pyramids. I am what is called a flyer, and I’m thrown to the top of the pyramid. I have to have a good trust with my bases to perform my best.
— Ariana Bazan ’25

When we walk around at the Universal Cheerleaders Association’s College National Championships, everybody knows who we are, and it is so cool. We’re well known in our division because we have won so many championships. We have a reputation to uphold when we’re there. We haven’t won since 2020. This year, we want to come out on top.
— Sophia Schmidt ’24

Picture Bill Cardoni