On March 7, cheers rang out from the Recreation and Athletic Center crowd after St. Edward's STUNT christened the program's first home game with an 8-5 win over Ottawa University Arizona. For the first time, those cheers were directed at seniors KENNEDY JOHNSON, DANICA MORNINGSTAR, and JAHENNESSY PARRA instead of by them. 
 
Members of the SEU women's basketball and volleyball teams, a mix of other student-athletes, St. Ed's President Dr. Montserrat Fuentes, school administrators, family, and friends gathered in the RAC to support the women who've spent the past three years cheering all of them on.
 
"It was exciting because the other sports were finally able to see all the hard work we've put in," Parra exclaims. "We're always here to cheer the other teams on, but we haven't had a home crowd since we travel for our only cheerleading competition. It was exciting to see the other teams come support us." 
 
Morningstar and Parra started as freshmen when cheerleading was still a club sport. Johnson transferred and joined after St. Ed's athletics elevated it to a varsity sport. From its humble origins, through two other head coaches, and now in its first season as an NCAA program in STUNT, the senior trio has been the constant foundation through changing times. 
 
"This senior class has been the glue that held this team together and led the program before my arrival," St. Edward's Head STUNT and Cheerleading Coach Sean Garland says. "When I arrived, the team already had a good knowledge base thanks to their leadership. They have a lot of respect from their teammates."
 
After their first meeting, Garland was impressed by Morningstar's vast knowledge of this emerging sport, covering industry leaders, trends, and elite teams. The STUNT senior captain has long been among the most prominent voices in the SEU Spirit program. During her first year, she frequently met with St. Ed's Vice President for Student Affairs and Administration, Dr. Lisa Kirkpatrick, as part of the University's process to elevate the program back to varsity status. 
 
"Danica believes in this University and had tremendous faith we'd get the cheerleading program back to varsity and the determination to help make it happen," Dr. Kirkpatrick says. "I'm so proud of her commitment and support to elevate the program."
 
The task wasn't without its obstacles. The first was recalibrating expectations to meet the demands of moving from a club sport to an intercollegiate varsity program and all the 6:00 a.m. practices, training, and other responsibilities that come with it. 
 
"It was interesting. Some didn't know what it meant to move from club to varsity and the standards that would be there. I grew up playing sports, so I knew what to expect," Morningstar says. "The transition was initially challenging, knowing we'd have to arrive at 6:00 a.m. and, on some nights, not leave until 10:00 p.m. But people wanted to be here and honed in because we love cheerleading and our teammates." 
 
The cheerleading program also went through two head coaches in its first two years, leaving Morningstar and others to keep everything together. Fortunately, the team had a sturdy foundation to build on in the friendship of Morningstar and Parra, the program's longest-tenured members. 
 
"Danica and I started together when this was a club program. We've been through it together, growing this program as much as possible," Parra says. "Kennedy and I have also bonded over the years. She puts her heart into everything she does. It's been nice starting and finishing this with close friends in leadership positions." 
 
Morningstar and Parra bonded in their first year, carpooling to off-campus practices as the only two first-years invited to compete in an all-women's competition. 
 
"[Jahennessy] offered me a ride to one of our first practices, and I remember being in her car with the sun shining, the windows down, and she puts on this playlist, and 'Like a G6' comes on, and we started jamming the rest of the drive," Morningstar recalls. "I'll never forget the sunset in the back, talking about how excited we were to try this skill or that, and Jahennessy laughing and giggling. She's a sweet, compassionate person who cares for everyone." 
 
Johnson describes Parra as the team mom, and Garland praises her nurturing leadership style. Few people spend as much time helping others as Parra, who has won SEU Athletics' Stacey Copeland Community Service Award twice for her countless volunteer hours with Campus Ministry and other organizations. 
 
"We went hiking on the last day of a mission trip to Arizona, and this lady falls 10-15 feet off a cliff. Jahennessy was still in concussion protocols but didn't hesitate to pick her up, and we carried her down for five miles," Johnson recalls. "That's why everyone loves Jahennessy. She's always looking out for everyone. She's a light, and I wouldn't have made it this far on the team without her." 
 
Johnson supplies the STUNT team with athleticism and versatility, bringing point value as a tumbler and base. She also has a deep love for sideline cheerleading, where she and Parra serve as team captains, practicing up to six days a week and performing at St. Edward's games in addition to her STUNT responsibilities. 
 
"Kennedy came in as an example of strength and talent on the floor, and she's a wonderful example for women to live up to," Garland says. "She's a ball of endless energy who loves cheer more than anything. She and Jahennessy show up with a smile to every practice no matter what because they're the leaders of the cheerleading program." 
 
Johnson transferred to St. Edward's as a junior and quickly rekindled her passion for cheerleading upon her arrival. 
 
"I started in gymnastics when I was six, then my mom put me in cheerleading when I was eight after I fell in love with the bows and sparkles on a cheerleading team," Johnson recalls. "Then, I got to St. Ed's, and it reignited my love for competitive cheer. With STUNT, there's this incredible opportunity to do something different using the same skills in an NCAA sport."
 
As an NCAA emerging sport, STUNT has provided new opportunities and a different mindset for these student-athletes, reconfiguring cheerleading skills and athleticism into a head-to-head format with a structured, competitive season.
 
Morningstar, who comes from a family of athletes and grew up playing multiple sports, fondly remembers the first time she wore her St. Edward's STUNT jersey. 
 
"It was nostalgic. I'd played lacrosse and volleyball my entire life, and 22 was always my jersey number," Morningstar says. "So, putting the STUNT jersey with my number on it was the real deal. I had a jersey number, just like any other athlete."
 
For Parra, STUNT provided a new opportunity for a different means of bonding with her teammates. 
 
"The traveling has been my favorite part of this entire STUNT experience. With cheer, we only traveled once a year," Parra says. "We've gotten very close the past few months with all the team dinners and activities on the road."
 
SEU STUNT opened the season with the growing pains of any new program, dropping its first three games at the DBU Tournament. However, it didn't take long for the team to make tremendous strides, scoring the program's first points in a loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 28, then riding that momentum to that program's first win on the same day, defeating Centenary 11-2. The Hilltoppers also battled Southern Nazarene University to a near standstill in a 7-5 loss and picked up the program's second win that weekend with an 11-2 victory over Connors State College. 
 
"[The first win] was insane. We'd received our first point in program history earlier, so we were already excited and further along than we thought we'd be," Morningstar remembers. "So, we went into the first round against Centenary and kept the vibes up, communicating with each other, holding each other accountable, and supporting each other. Knowing this program will do so well in the future, it's incredible knowing I'm part of the first win in its history." 
 
"We all had the same mindset, and when we do that, we work well as a team," Johnson adds. "That game was magic, and we were on fire on the mat and ecstatic to take the first win. It was like a scene from a movie."
 
On Friday, St. Edward's will face Texas A&M-Kingsville for the third time this season in the program's first Lone Star Conference Tournament, looking to keep the season alive one day longer for seniors who wrap up their collegiate careers, giving St. Edward's STUNT a promising start.
 
"These three developed the expectations that drive this program. No matter what's going on, they're always locked in, and to have that on the mat during practices keeps the team together, focused and progressing," Garland says. "It's bittersweet to have such a short journey with them, but I've been coaching for over 30 years, and I can tell they're going to have extraordinary lives after St. Edward's because they're special young women." 
 
All three seniors are excited about the program's future even as their collegiate careers come to a close. In the near future, they'll return to cheering. Only then, it will be from the stands instead of the sidelines. And instead of cheering on the accomplishments of others, it will be for the program they helped set the foundation for.