Here's how the 4 Peoria-area teams fared at the 2023 IHSA cheerleading state finals

Journal Star
·2 min read

The Illinois High School Association competitive cheerleading state finals were Feb. 3-4, 2023 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Four teams from the Peoria area competed among the 100 teams in the event, with preliminaries on Friday and the top 10 schools in each class advancing to finals on Saturday. The competition is split between small, medium, large and co-ed teams.

Washington was the lone Peoria-area team to advance to the finals, taking ninth overall. Here is a look at each of the teams, including their path to state, full rosters, coaches and how they fared in Bloomington.

Washington

The Washington High School competitive cheerleading team will compete in the IHSA state finals in February 2023.
The Washington High School competitive cheerleading team will compete in the IHSA state finals in February 2023.

  • How they got here: Finished fourth in the medium-school standings at the Bradley-Bourbonnais Sectional, scoring 88.77 points. This is the school's ninth consecutive trip to the state finals.

  • Cheerleaders: Lauren Beuster, Brie Bright, Megan Bucher, Peyton Everett, Erika Garcia, Sophie Kamienski, Maggie Lawson, Leah Oliphant, Ellie Quin, Brooklyn Schulte and Brooklyn Ulick.

  • Coaches: Head coach Maureen Minehan-Dahm; assistants Sam Garcia and Jessica Bielema.

  • How they fared: Washington scored 91.55 to finish fourth among the 10 medium teams that advanced to the finals. On Saturday, the Panthers finished ninth of 10 teams with a score of 87.83.

Eureka

The Eureka High School competitive cheerleading team will compete at the IHSA state finals in February 2023.
The Eureka High School competitive cheerleading team will compete at the IHSA state finals in February 2023.

  • How they got here: Finished fourth in the small-school standings at the Hoffman Estates Conant Sectional, scoring 83.10 points.

  • Cheerleaders: Seniors Sophie Kaufman, Katie McCunn and Claire Wilson; juniors Allison deFreese, Lucy Kaufman, Sami Knapp, Hadley McClallen and Miranda Wertz; sophomore Peyton Louck; and freshmen Myla Reigelein, Addison Schrock and Lydia Wettstein.

  • Coaches: Crystel Otto, Karly Weigand and Ashley deFreese

  • How they fared: Eureka scored 83.07 to finish 14th among 25 small teams and did not advance to the finals.

ROWVA/Williamsfield

The ROWVA/Williamsfield competitive cheerleading team will compete in the in the IHSA state finals in February 2023.
The ROWVA/Williamsfield competitive cheerleading team will compete in the in the IHSA state finals in February 2023.

  • How they got here: Finished fifth in the small-school standings at the Belvidere North Sectional, scoring 81.33 points.

  • Cheerleaders: Kendra Bennett, Olivia Cokel, Truley Dillon, Oliva Hopping, Clara Kuelper, Lucy Kuelper, Grace Maulden, Kadence Maulden, Marin Shane, Alissa Stokes, Alexia Swanson, Delaney Traphagan and Emma West.

  • Coaches: Jessica Kuelper, Tina West and Zach Hopping.

  • How they fared: ROWVA/Williamsfield scored 72.47 to finish 24th among 25 small teams and did not advance to the finals

Knoxville

The Knoxville High School competitive cheerleading team is part of the IHSA state finals scheduled for February 2023 in Bloomington.
The Knoxville High School competitive cheerleading team is part of the IHSA state finals scheduled for February 2023 in Bloomington.

  • How they got here: Won the small-school title at the Belvidere North Sectional, scoring 89.57 points.

  • Cheerleaders: Addison Anderson, Raegan Brown, Melanie Crum, Alyson Daugherty, Brooke Howard, Hannah Marvel, Peyton Marvel, Hayley Olinger, Jordyn Oeth, Sydney Smith and Rachael Tracy.

  • Coaches: Head coach Ashley Swank; assistants Alexis Batchelder and Maddy Grady

  • How they fared: Knoxville scored 82.27 to finish 15th among 25 small teams and did not advance to the finals

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA competitive cheerleading state finals: Peoria teams in meet