GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Lourdes competitive cheer team finished in second in the 2026 WHAC Tournament Championships with a season-high score of 91.13.
The team scored an 87.68 preliminary score, but broke a program-record with a zero deduction final round score of 92.28. The combined result was a second place finish as Madonna barely beat out Lourdes for the top spot with a 92.53.
After Madonna and Lourdes, Siena Heights finished in third, Cornerstone placed fourth, Aquinas was fifth, and Rochester Christian was sixth.
The Gray Wolves averaged an impressive 85.08 over their six competitions this season. They scored over an 80 in five out of six competitions this year and over an 85 in half of their competitions. Lourdes won two events, was runners-up for three events, and finished fourth in one event.
Lourdes senior
Joel Brothers won the WHAC Cheerleader of the Year award. Freshman
Naijale McBride won WHAC Newcomer of the Year. Additionally,
Emily Kessinger was Lourdes' Champions of Character selection. Brothers, McBride, and Makayla Dickinson were all selected to the All-WHAC First Team.
Off the mat, Lourdes tied with Madonna for the most WHAC All-Academic selections in the conference with nine.
Molly Altman,
Addisen Osswald,
Ashley Smith,
Emma Carr,
Madison Hutka,
Madisyn Adamczewski,
Emily Kessinger, Catelynn Behan, and
Mya Hoberg were all picked for the prestigious team. Head coach
Kortney Nieckarz commented after the competition on the team's success in their final season together.
"Instead of taking the easier route, this team chose to push the difficulty and raise the bar to score one of the strongest performances in program history," Coach Nieckarz said. "However, what makes this team truly special has nothing to do with a score sheet. This season asked more of them than any team should ever have to face — the loss of a teammate, season-ending injuries, and the heartbreaking announcement that our university is closing. Yet through it all, they kept showing up, kept believing, and kept fighting for each other. They thought the loss would break us. They thought the injuries would break us. They thought the announcement would break us, but we're still standing. We're still waiting to see if we receive an at-large bid, but no matter what happens next, I could not be more proud of these athletes and the legacy they leave behind as the final competitive cheer team in Lourdes University history. Some teams finish a season, this team closed a chapter of history."
The Gray Wolves will await their national tournament fate on March 16 when the selections are announced.
