The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 Board acknowledges Storm cheerleaders title

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 recognized the South Elgin High School co-ed cheerleading team for winning a state title at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 26.
  In Bloomington, the Storm cheerleaders scored a 97.2 on Feb. 2 for the top preliminary score and then a 97.6 on Feb. 3 for the finals to take first among 25 co-ed varsity teams at state. The team was welcomed back at the school when they returned from state and honored with an assembly and recognition at halftime of a boys basketball game, a district press release stated.
  Recognized at the board meeting were all 24 members of the team as well as head coach Savannah Bennett and assistant coaches Kathryn Ciolli and Savannah Swayze.
  “Cheerleading is a physically demanding sport, and they trained hard all season,” Bennett said. “When we mixed in the mentality work, it allowed us to practice and perform at a higher level. Seeing their months of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice pay off is something I will never forget. I hope when our athletes look back on this moment, they are proud of themselves for what they accomplished, together as a team.”
  Upperclassmen on the team include seniors Maya Jovanovic, Isabella Meloun and Katie Solis as well as juniors Kyra Clark, Taylor Davis, Bryan Estrada, Adriana Jimenez, Adelyn Logsdon, Bridget Lucas, Nevaeh Poole, Aubriunna Rosa, Emma Salazar, Morgan Stokes, Stewart Williams Jr. and Greta Zelaitis.
  Underclassmen also include sophomores Sophia Catania, Kaelyn Lindsay, Isabella Napoles, Kylie Rogowski, Stella Shah, Emma Marie Steinhofer and Paige Vargas as well as freshmen Kirsten Cones and Hunter Lindsay.
  Bennett has been head coach since 2017-2018, and the Storm has qualified for the state finals every season under her tutelage. The Storm also won a state title in 2019-2020.