Whether they're yelling "eat'em up kats!" on the sideline or on The Bandshell, the Sam Houston State Spirit Program is a force to be reckoned with. 

The 2017-18 squad is made up of 39 members on coed and 38 athletes on the all girl team. The cheerleading teams are led by Brian McColpin and Meagan Balentine.


SHSU Coed cheerleaders show off their pyramid skills during the Pink Out game Saturday, Oct. 14

The Bearkats are building a legacy of excellence as both all girl and coed squads have multiple national titles to their name. The all girl team has three NCA Collegiate Titles and a partner stunt title they earned at the 2017 UCA College Nationals in Orlando, Florida. 


The All Girl team warms up skills in the practice room before the game

The coed squad earned back-to-back national championships in 2015 and 2016 to make four total team championship titles, and they also earned a UCA College partner stunt title won back in 2015 by current head coed coach Meagan Balentine. 



SHSU Coed Cheerleaders perform squad extensions before kickoff

While both teams currently have their focus set on cheering on the Bearkats on game day, they have recently began preparing to compete in their respective D1 Divisions at NCA College Nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

SHSU's beloved mascot, Sammy the Bearkat, has won five national titles and is currently the back-to-back NCA College mascot national champion. In 2018, Sammy is hoping to go for three in a row! Sammy would be the first mascot ever to achieve three first-place wins in a row at NCA College Nationals.



Sammy the Bearkat joins Sam Houston cheerleaders on the sidelines to help lead the crowd

The SHSU Spirit Program wouldn't be complete without the six-time national champion Orange Pride Dance team, coached by SHSU alum Sarah Garcia. Orange Pride traditionally competes D1 Jazz at NDA Collegiate Nationals but is happy to announce that they plan to take on D1 Team Performance as well in 2018.


The Orange Pride Dance Team performs with the band for an exciting half time performance.

As Sammy works for a three-peat, the rest of the SHSU Spirit Program is working to come together as a team to earn back their titles. 

"As a team, it's important that we hold ourselves and each other accountable every step of the way," said new head coed coach Meagan Balentine. "Every athlete realizes that we are only as strong as our weakest link, and taking every hardship we encounter as an opportunity to grow from as a team."

Our main goals this year are to build confidence in ourselves and each other. Understanding that perfecting the basics and knowing that proper progressions will be our key to being successful.

While they strive for perfection, the Bearkats' main goal is to display a finals routine that they are completely proud of.

"One of our biggest goals this year for nationals is to hit and walk off the bandshell knowing that everyone worked together every step of our journey and all the hard work paid off," Balentine said. "Last year wasn't as successful as we would have liked it to be. We do have some new athletes that are younger and new to college cheer on all girl, and coed has a new coach."


New head coed coach Meagan Balentine and team huddle up after practice

A minor setback calls for a major comeback.

"There have been some changes and the athletes must learn to trust the process," she said. "Both teams are on a great track. Keeping the teams focused on ​this year and keeping them driven to be the best they can be this season, not looking back on last season, will be one of our biggest challenges. But we are excited to see what these teams can do!"


SHSU Coed Squad comes together after practice in Huntsville, Texas

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