Kendra Sawyer brings ambitious goals, high expectations for her athletes
Sixteen years ago, a devastating ACL injury derailed Kendra Sawyer’s plans for collegiate cheerleading.
This year, the Ursuline alumna has come full circle, leading the school’s inaugural competitive cheer team as its head coach.
Her goal for the first season? Nothing short of a national title.
Sawyer’s love for cheer began at 6 years old, earning her spots on junior, teen, and senior teams at her competitive gym before joining Jesuit’s cheer team in 2003. Even after her injury, her passion for the sport never waned. She went on to coach Jesuit’s JV team in 2019, becoming head coach of Jesuit Cheer five years later.
“It was just something that brought me so much joy,” she said, looking back on her motivation to pursue coaching. “They flip their bodies in ways that if you stay there and think about it, you would think there’s no way. So it’s not only a physical strength that these girls have, but it’s a mental strength.”
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The girls will need strength in both areas to pull off a national win. In competition, they will perform a two-and-a-half-minute routine with not a moment of rest for anyone “on mat,” Sawyer said.
Highlighting the girls’ raw talent as her inspiration to take on building the program from scratch, Sawyer worked closely with Stephanie Hill, Ursuline’s athletic director, to bring to life what she called a “no-brainer” after also witnessing the student athletes’ ambition to compete.
And the launch for the inaugural team couldn’t come at a more exciting time. A win in 2026 would mark a 20-year full-circle moment for the athletes, carrying the legacy of Ursuline Cheer into a new era. In 2006, Jesuit Cheer — comprised of Jesuit boys and Ursuline girls — won the NCA National Cheerleading Competition in the large co-ed division.
Ursuline’s inaugural season officially begins Nov. 16 at the regional competition. The team then has two months to refine its routines and prepare for nationals, which takes place Jan. 23-25.
“These girls have the skills, have the talent, and I have a vision of winning for sure,” Sawyer said.
And while she doesn’t doubt her team’s capabilities, Sawyer said that winning isn’t everything. “I want them to walk out of the competition and also be proud of what they just did — that they came together.”
For the Ursuline cheer athletes, Sawyer’s leadership has already left its mark.
“She carries a true passion for not only the sport of cheerleading, but also for the girls that she trains,” said Riley Jones, Ursuline senior and a team captain for Jesuit Cheer. “She knows how to push us to succeed while keeping the best interests of the individual in mind.”
Jones, who has competed with Jesuit Cheer, said she’s most excited to represent her school.
“Getting the chance to wear my own school’s logo on a uniform and compete with it is an opportunity I never thought I would have at Ursuline,” she said. “Ten years from now, I hope people remember me as someone who helped lay the foundation for Ursuline’s cheer program . . . More than the skills or the wins, I’d love for people to say I was part of creating a program built on heart and commitment.”
