Last Thursday Iowa lost to Ohio State 73-69 in the Big 10 tourney 2nd round but was still able to clinch an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes need 1 more victory to secure their 5th straight 20-win season and claimed the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney bid. 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. Yesterday HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Iowa cheerleader Jaclin Thompson about having both her men’s and women’s teams make the NCAA tourney.
You are from Brownsburg, IN: what made you choose Iowa? I grew up in a family where college athletics were very important, as 2 of my brothers played college football. I wanted a school that would expand my horizons, so after learning about the traditions at Iowa I just loved it.
How long have you been cheering, and what is the best part? I have been cheering for about 7 years after previously being a gymnast. The best part is interacting in the fans: just walking to the football stadium and having little girls say they want to be like me when they grow up is a thrill!
Your men’s basketball team is good but your women’s basketball team is outstanding: what is the mood like on campus now that both of them have made the NCAA tourney? I got to travel to the Big 10 women’s tourney and EVERYBODY was talking about it when I got back to campus and asking me if I was there. We have some very good teams so we are very fortunate. (Note: Iowa won the Big 10 women’s tourney, Iowa State won the Big 12 women’s tourney, and Drake won the MVC women’s tourney!)
You are majoring in business marketing management and minoring in Spanish: why did you choose those subjects? I picked marketing because I like communication/event management. I am fluent in Spanish now and am a certified translator, which came in handy during all of my exchange programs.
You graduate in a few months: what is the post-graduation plan? I am applying to law schools right now and trying to get all of my applications submitted. I would like to become an immigration attorney 1 day.
You have done a lot of volunteer work for Special Olympics/Catholic Charities: how much importance do you place on community service? It is something that I am very passionate about and is the #1 reason that I am a cheerleader. Fans might not know my name but they know my image for the impact I bring to different organizations.
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? Since our team is so small we get to choose 2 tourneys to travel to each year, and being a senior helped. This is my 1st year traveling to March Madness and I am very excited to see how we will do.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Birmingham? Not that I know of: we do not even know when we fly out yet! However, we always do a “Hawkeye Huddle” for the traveling fans to come visit/interact with us.
Are you worried that Auburn will have a home-court advantage since they are only a 2-hour drive away? That is EVERYONE’S main concern. Iowa thrives off our environment at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Any predictions for the Hawkeyes on Thursday night? I have a good feeling that we will win despite not doing as well at the Big 10 tourney as we had hoped.