For the third consecutive year, a cheerleader from McDonald County High School has signed a letter of intent to cheer at the collegiate level.
Caitlyn Stouder is the most recent McDonald County cheerleader to sign her collegiate letter. Stouder signed her letter on Feb. 27 at MCHS to cheer at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. She will serve the squad as a "flyer" beginning in August.
"It was very exciting to sign," Stouder said. "It was something I thought about for a long time. It was exciting to finally sign after thinking about it for so long."
Stouder has cheered for 10 years, including three years as a member of the varsity squad at MCHS. While at McDonald County, she helped the Mustang cheerleaders take second in regional and state contests in 2017 and win the 2018 regional championships.
Stouder said she chose Southwest Baptist because the school has a "great" cheer and stunt program.
"I really like the cheer program they have there," Stouder said. "I am really looking forward to next year."
She said that Southwest Baptist contacted her about coming to the school as a member of the cheerleading squad.
"The coach reached out to me and told me about their program," Stouder said. "We have talked since March of last year and I went to a camp."
In addition to cheerleading, Stouder is involved in FFA and the Science National Honor Society at MCHS. She has earned gold and silver cards while making the A/B honor roll at MCHS. She is also a three-year academic letter winner.
Stouder plans to major in elementary education at Southwest Baptist.
"I want to thank my family, coaches and teammates," Stouder said.
She is the daughter of Eugene and Tina Stouder and Lori Ledford.
Sports on 03/07/2019