On Thursday, May 19, 2016, Quakertown seniors Jessica Braeunle and Ashley Henry were recognized for committing to continue their cheerleading careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
“I just want to start off by saying how proud I am of both of these girls for going on to pursue cheerleading in college,” assistant coach Liz Ebersole said. “It’s not easy. There’s a lot of very competitive college teams out there. It’s very hard to get on some of these teams, but they got lucky, and they’re amazingly talented.”
Jessica Braeunle – Shippensburg University (Cheerleading)
Major: Biology/Biotechnology
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, West Chester, Penn State (Main)
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “I loved the campus, the dorms, the environment. Also, not many schools had a forensic science concentration, which is what I would like to focus on.”
What was the progression that led you to cheering at the collegiate level? “I have cheered since third grade and have loved the sport and loved competing. I looked into the cheer team at Ship, looked at their capabilities, and they reached out to accepted students looking to try out. I had to prepare material ahead of time and attend the tryout in April in which they selected their team based on scores and ability. They cut people who were both already on the team as well as incoming student-athletes. I made the team and begin preseason in mid-August.”
Assistant coach Liz Ebersole says: “I actually had the opportunity to both cheer with Jess – she was a freshman my senior year when I was here – and coach her as well. I can say how much of an amazing athlete she is when it comes to not only cheer, but she’s dance, she runs for track, and she’s awesome with that as well. Shippensburg is very lucky to have her. She’s such a well-rounded athlete, but she’ll not only exceed in athletics- her academics are amazing as well. She managed to do three sports, and she has a huge heart. She never fails to put a smile on anyone’s face.”
About Jessica:
Favorite food: Lasagna
Favorite movie: Just Go With It
Favorite music: Chris Brown
Ashley Henry – University of Toledo (Cheerleading)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Toledo, Kent State University, IUP, Bloomsburg, Kutztown.
Reasons for choosing Toledo: “Brother goes there, scholarships, I get to cheer at a D1 school, and the campus is beautiful.”
What was the progression that led you to cheering at the collegiate level? “I have cheered since I was seven years old and all throughout high school. I did not want to give up the sport I love and worked so hard for it.”
Assistant coach Liz Ebersole says: “I had the pleasure of cheering with Ashley and coaching her as well. Her freshman year she fractured her hip before our first competition. It definitely threw a wrench in our plans, but she came back. The next three years she became an amazing athlete. Not only did she fly, she was a base as well. Overall, she did amazingly. Toledo is a co-ed team, so it’s a lot different than all-girl cheer that we have here, but I know she’s going to do awesome. She’s so confident, she’s one of our captains. She’s always a leader, she’s always the first one at practice. She knows how to run the girls and how to run practice. She made the season very successful for us.”
About Ashley:
Favorite food: Tacos and Chinese Food
Favorite movie: Divergent Series
Favorite music: Justin Bieber
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