The winter season saw several athletes and teams excel in competitive cheer.
Her is a look at the athletes who were selected for the Holland Sentinel All-Area Competitive Cheer Team.
COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADER OF THE YEAR
Addysen Miller
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Main Base
ON THE MAT: Led the Dux to an eighth-place finish at the state finals. Miller is a two-time conference champion, two-time state finalist, two-time district runner-up, one-time regional runner-up, one-time first-team all-state, three-time all-region, three-time all-district and three-time all-conference performer.
COACH’S VIEW: “Addysen’s commitment to the program was on full display this season, helping lead the team to back‑to‑back conference titles and another return to the state finals. Competing in all three rounds every year since her freshman season, she has been a consistent, dependable performer and a key driver of the team’s success. Addysen will be attending Ferris State University in the fall.” – Emillie Gort
ALL-AREA FIRST TEAM
Zoie Bush
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Flyer
COACH’S VIEW: “After suffering a season‑ending injury as a freshman, she returned with a vengeance as a sophomore, earning her spot in all three rounds. Her work ethic continues to drive improvement in her jumps, tumbling, and flying, strengthening the team each season.” – Emillie Gort
Lillianna Cruz
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Base
COACH’S VIEW: “Lillianna, a fourth-year varsity athlete, has been a strong and respected leader on our team, earning the role of team captain through her teammates’ votes. She served as our cheer caller, using her powerful voice as a key asset to the program. Lilli also did an excellent job mentoring underclassmen in her stunt group, building confidence and consistency. Her grit and determination will be missed, but her future is bright.” – Mindy Vork
Faith Dietsche
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Freshman
POSITION: Base
COACH’S VIEW: “Quickly became an athlete we knew that we could challenge and she’d excel our expectations every time.” – Adrian Nichols
Taylor Ferris
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Base
COACH’S VIEW: “Taylor is our most well rounded athlete, willing to do what needs to be done for the team. We are grateful for her dedication to the program over the years.” – Adrian Nichols
Penny Heyboer
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Freshman
POSITION: Flyer
COACH’S VIEW: “Penny is a stand out freshman who has grown significantly in one year. Excited to see her progress.” – Adrian Nichols
Mikenna Qualman
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Flyer
COACH’S VIEW: “Mikenna played an important role in the team’s success this season, competing in all three rounds for the past three years. Her continued growth across each round helped elevate the team’s overall performance. She will continue her cheer career this fall at Central Michigan University.” – Emillie Gort
Alyssa Saymoungkhoune
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Base/tumbler
COACH’S VIEW: “Alyssa is such a fun girl to be around. She is always making the other girls laugh. She is a hard worker and willing to do any spot/place we ask her to.” – Angie Kidwell
Violet Siffin
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Main base
COACH’S VIEW: “Violet emerged as another strong junior leader for us. She is a three round athlete that brings beautiful jumps and tumbling to our rounds. Excited to see her growth and leadership in her final year of cheer.” – Emillie Gort
Cindy Solis
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Base
COACH’S VIEW: “A second-year varsity athlete as a sophomore, Cindy’s dedication to the sport is evident. She gained two new tumbling skills this season and competed in all three rounds. Her strong technique earned her central placement in formations, highlighting her consistency and reliability in competition.” – Mindy Vork
Bayla Steinke
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Side base
COACH’S VIEW: “Like her sister Jiaya, having a twinon the team pushed Bayla to elevate her skills across the board. A powerful tumbler, she made a major impact this season by debuting her full in round three. A three round athlete, Bayla brought strength and energy to the rounds.” – Emillie Gort
Jiaya Steinke
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Sophomore
POSITION: Main base
COACH’S VIEW: “Having her twin on the team pushed both athletes to get better every day. Jiaya emerged as a powerhouse base in round three, showing major growth this season as her confidence and consistency in tumbling continued to rise. A three round athlete, Jiaya made a strong impact in all rounds.” – Emillie Gort
Alexis Sterken
SCHOOL: Zeeland East
GRADE: Freshman
POSITION: Flyer
COACH’S VIEW: “Alexis is a natural competitor who knows what it takes to be successful & doesn’t get flustered easily. You can’t always teach that skill.” – Adrian Nichols
Kaylee Vander Heide
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Base/tubler
COACH’S VIEW: Kaylee was in all three rounds and was amazing. She works hard to learn new spots and always has a positive attitude.” – Angie Kidwell
Chloe VanDyke
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Base
COACH’S VIEW: “Chloe, a first-year varsity athlete, leads by example through her commitment and work ethic. She made meaningful contributions in all three rounds and earned a new tumbling skill that strengthened our Round 2 performance. Her steady improvement and team-first mindset made her a valuable asset this season.” – Mindy Vork
Kennedy VanNuil
SCHOOL: Hamilton
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Base
COACH’S VIEW: “Kennedy was a great leader. Her love for cheer is clear and she works so hard. We will miss her.” – Angie Kidwell
Kaila Vork
SCHOOL: West Ottawa
GRADE: Senior
POSITION: Flyer
COACH’S VIEW: “A fourth-year varsity athlete, Kaila showed tremendous growth as a leader and was voted team captain by her teammates. She excelled in mentoring younger athletes and pushed herself to achieve her goals, earning her back tuck and successfully hitting her full-up as a flyer. Kaila’s dedication and work ethic set the standard for our program. She will be deeply missed, but we are confident she will continue to do great things.” – Mindy Vork
Lauren Walters
SCHOOL: Zeeland West
GRADE: Junior
POSITION: Side base
COACH’S VIEW: “Lauren refused to let offseason surgery slow her down, returning stronger and putting in the work all season. She is a strong junior leader in all three rounds and will continue to lead her team to success next year for her Senior year.” – Emillie Gort
HONORABLE MENTION
Jaiden Edwards, West Ottawa
Josephine Egbert, West Ottawa
Lily Matteson, Zeeland East
Thy Nonthaweth, West Ottawa
Khloe Phothisan, Zeeland East
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Sentinel All-Area Competitive Cheer Team led by Zeeland West’s Addysen Miller
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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