Last Friday Illinois lost to Maryland 88-65 in the Big 10 tourney but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Illini have won 20+ games for the 6th year in a row and are heading to the NCAA tourney for the 5th year in the past 5 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Illinois cheerleader Madelyn Roseman about having so many new teams in the league and making the NCAA tourney.
You were raised in Gifford, IL: what made you choose Illinois for college? Cheering at the University of Illinois was a goal that I set for myself from a really young age. After I made the Illinois cheer team, there was no doubt that the University of Illinois was the place I was supposed to be.
You majored in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences with minors in Business, Public Health, and Health Administration: how did you choose those subjects? Going into college, I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. I wanted to go into the clinical side at 1st, but after completing some science courses, I realized that the business side of healthcare was where I excelled. Standing out in today’s competitive environment, I made sure to add minors that would prepare me for a successful career.
You graduated last December and are pursuing a graduate degree at the Gies College of Business: what is the post-graduation plan? After I am done with grad school, I plan to use my education as well as my experience in healthcare administration. Eventually after a few years of experience my plan is to complete my MBA through Gies College of Business.
How did you 1st get into cheering, and what is the best part? I first got into cheerleading when I was very little: my mom was a cheer coach so I grew up surrounded by the sport. The best part of cheerleading is going to all the different sporting events and being able to cheer on the Illinois teams from the sidelines, especially at tournament games!
The Big 10 has changed a lot over the past several years: how do you feel about having so many new teams in the league? Personally, I think the expansion of the Big Ten provides exposure and opportunities that are not necessarily limited to the Midwest. From an athlete’s point of view, they are able to travel/play/see so many different parts of the country showcasing all that the Big Ten schools have to offer.
What was the highlight of your season so far: starting conference play 4-1, Senior Night, other? Senior Night was really awesome! Being able to cheer on the Illini during such a competitive game against Purdue and pulling off the win (88-80) was an awesome experience and will be a special memory for me.
The Illini received an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney and have now made the NCAA tourney 5 years in a row: what was the reaction like when you finally heard your school’s name announced on Selection Sunday, and have you been able to attend any of their prior postseason games? Last year, I traveled to Minneapolis and was on the sideline celebrating our Big 10 title when the confetti dropped: that was a day I will never forget! Then I traveled to watch the Sweet 16/Elite 8 games in Boston. I had to be there to cheer on both my cheer team and the basketball team. Watching Selection Sunday last weekend and finding out that we are going to Milwaukee to try and do it again was very exciting.
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? For Illinois cheerleading specifically, it is usually upperclassmen and seniors who get to go to postseason events like the NCAA tournament. It means so much to me to be able to travel and continue to cheer on the Illini one final time.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for this week? With part of our team going to Texas to cheer on the women’s basketball team, and another group going to cheer on the men’s basketball team in both NCAA tournaments, we will do things as small groups. We will go to dinner as a team and hopefully celebrate many wins!
Any predictions for your game on Friday vs. the Texas-Xavier winner? The Illini will come out on top on Friday!
