Last Thursday Nevada lost to San Jose State 81-77 in OT in the MWC quarterfinals but was still able to earn an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack won 22 games this year and claimed the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2019. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Nevada cheerleader Hallie Borgel about being a great student.
You were born/raised in Las Vegas: how did you choose Nevada? Choosing Nevada was not my initial plan, but I can safely say that I could not imagine myself at any other university. I knew I wanted to stay close to home but felt the pressure to go far and be fully independent. As I was entering my senior year of high school I initially planned on heading south and moving on from being a cheerleader to pursuing Greek Life. I looked at so many colleges and always had the University of Nevada on my list just in case. I then decided to try out for Nevada’s Cheerleading team in early March of 2019 to see if this would be my sign to become a part of the Pack or to move far away from my initial home. Making the team my freshman year changed my life in the best way possible. Even my parents (who are UNLV alumni) were so ecstatic about my decision and supported me from the beginning!
You have been cheering since you were 13 years old: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? Well, I was juggling both cheer/soccer at the time. My father was a big soccer star at UNLV (1990 conference POY) and inspired my sisters and I to follow that same path. I enjoyed soccer for the most part but did not feel like it was for me the same way that it was for my dad/2 sisters. I started taking tumbling classes at a local gym in Las Vegas, quickly picked up the skills, and convinced my parents to let me try out for a competitive team. They were fully supportive of cheer being my main sport/focus and I went on to compete for 4 more years! The best part of cheerleading to me is the friendships that I have made. Over the years I have made lifelong friends/mentors who I will cherish forever.
You are majoring in Journalism with an emphasis in PR/advertising: why did you choose those subjects? I always loved to write and problem-solve while growing up. I thrived in English classes and knew that I could not choose a career path that did not let me show my creativity to its fullest. The journalism school at Nevada is one of the best programs and I became more interested in PR and advertising as I entered my junior year. I chose this emphasis because I knew with my crisis-solving mindset and writing skills that I would excel best with this focus. However, I did not know that journalism could be such a diverse degree with many different routes to choose from!
You have a 3.6 GPA: how do you balance your work in the classroom with your work on the cheer team? It is not easy and did not come naturally to me, but I learned over time the importance of juggling different things all at once. I learned that in order to excel in all of the things I am involved in I have to equally give my time to each thing. I create calendars everywhere…and I mean everywhere: on my phone, in my room, on my laptop, and anywhere else I can find a place to write down my to-do lists! There are some days where I want to quit and give up, to be fully honest with you. Cheering a full season of basketball and football while being a community-based team is a LOT on top of school. However, I never expected to be able to balance everything immediately. It took me a good 2 years to finally be able to confidently balance my life accordingly. This has helped me with the mindset of balancing a job and family one day as I grow into adulthood!
You graduate in a few months: what is the post-graduation plan? I am so excited to be able to say that I will be staying in Reno post-graduation. I never thought when coming to Reno at age 18 that I would still be here full-time at age 22. I am planning to workas a Summer Intern at TrailRunner International, which is a remarkable crisis communication firm in Truckee. I will be working there for the entirety of summer and hopefully work full-time come the fall: fingers crossed!
1 of your hobbies is watching movies: what is the best 1 you have seen recently? I watch so many movies each week: where do I begin?! I would have to say the best one that I have seen recently is “The Menu”. It was so intriguing and like nothing I have seen before. I am a thriller movie lover at heart and this was a perfect movie for my liking.
Nevada was on the bubble all weekend: what was the reaction like on Selection Sunday when you finally heard their name called? I was actually in line at a pharmacy with my boyfriend. I got a text in our Mountain West chat from our coaches and we all were completely stunned and over the moon! The people in the pharmacy probably were eyeing me for the right reasons as I could not contain my excitement. We all expected the Mountain West tourney to be our final goodbye to the season…but that just shows that you never know what could possibly lie ahead despite all of the odds stacked against you.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? As I mentioned briefly above, we are a community-based team at heart. With that, choosing the team to represent the program at NCAA is about members who showed up to events around the Reno community, as well as those who showed dedication/ commitment to the team for the entire season. Being picked is an honor: I have been fortunate enough to represent Nevada at multiple tournaments/games. Moving on from the Mountain West Tournament to the NCAA Tournament will be sort of a culture shock. None of us have been to a tournament this big/extravagant during our years as cheerleaders. It will mean the absolute world to me to be able to say that I cheered alongside some of the best athletes and people on the biggest stage in college basketball!
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? As of now we have nothing planned. Between finding out that we made the field yesterday and then flying out today, we have not really had the time to plan anything fun to do while we are in Dayton…and hopefully moving onto Denver! I think the best things go unplanned and we all know how to make a good time out of anything! For the games, we have planned out some great stunts and dances to show to the crowd.
Any predictions for the Wolfpack on Wednesday night vs. ASU? I am an optimistic person at heart. Seeing how our season has unfolded, I learned to expect the unexpected. This group of boys is probably the best that I have seen during my four years as a cheerleader. Their record alone shows that, but when I say “best” I mean best at playing as a unit rather than as individuals. I am going to say that my Wolf Pack will come out on top in Dayton. I think with this chance that they were given they will show up and shut down ASU!