Last Sunday Tennessee lost to Florida 86-77 in the SEC tourney title game but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Volunteers have now won 25+ games for the 4th year in a row and are heading to the NCAA tourney for the 5th year in a row. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Tennessee cheerleader Bethani Morris about being a national champ and making the NCAA tourney.
You were born/raised in Knoxville: how easy was your decision to go to college at Tennessee? Picking Tennessee was one of the easiest decisions in my entire life! I grew up going to Neyland Stadium with my family and have the best memories as a child of those games. Both my grandmother/mother attended UTK. We had season tickets to football and basketball games, but made our way to lots of baseball games as well. I knew when I became a freshman in high school that my goal was to become a Tennessee Cheerleader. I started attending clinics, meeting team members, I met our coach (Chelsea Bowlin) at my local gym. When my junior year rolled around, I knew that I only wanted to attend UTK, so I studied hard for the ACT to ensure that I would be enrolled. By the time I started my senior year, I only applied to go to school at UTK. I applied the first day that it was open to give myself the best chance possible. I do not recommend only applying to one school, because I had no back-up plan. Thankfully I was accepted: going to school in my hometown has been everything I dreamed it would be! Knoxville hass the best college atmosphere, and I have been so blessed to be here at a time when we have become so dominant across all sports. I have been a die-hard Tennessee fan my entire life!
You are majoring in Marketing with a sales track: how did you choose that subject? When I applied to school, I was accepted into the Nursing program. Before I started classes that fall, I realized that I really did not have a calling to be a nurse, or a good plan of what I wanted to do. I ended up switching to business and marketing to give myself more options after graduation. I also selected sales because my dad has been in sales my entire life and it has always been intriguing to me! I like that I can get into different fields with my degree.
You are planning to attend the Master’s in Marketing program at UTK for another year after graduating in May: do you have a post-Master’s plan yet? I do not have any set plans yet. I will graduate in May of 2026 from the Master’s Program, and from there I hope to have a job lined up! Like I said earlier, I would love to get involved in Sales, but I am also open to other opportunities that come my way. Medical device and pharmaceutical sales interest me, as I originally planned to be in health care. If I could work in sports in some capacity that would be my absolute dream!! The Master’s program at UTK emphasizes and creates lots of networking opportunities, so I plan to find a job to start after I graduate. It would take a lot to get me to move from Knoxville because I love it here so much…but I am open to a lot!
Last year you were named UCA Game Day National Champion: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? Winning UCA Game Day Nationals was so rewarding because it felt like a long time coming. It came after two years of receiving third place and then second place, even though we had some amazing routines. When we go to Nationals, a saying that has been passed down from past team members is, “Bring them to Neyland”. We say this because the game day division is all about showing the judges what a game day is like and bringing our atmosphere to the stage. We are so fortunate to have the best atmosphere in all of college sports. Although we say “Neyland”, we truly mean every single sports atmosphere here on campus. It is an honor of mine to get to represent the school and be a part of something so big.
What has been the highlight of the season so far: starting 14-0, Senior Night, other? The highlight of the season for me so far was the Alabama game at home when we made the buzzer beater to win the game (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbtYN1Wvf84). Cheering at a basketball game is so fun to me because as cheerleaders we are sitting on the court and get to see all of the action and be right there for it. The energy in Thompson-Boling Arena on that day was unmatched. And when Jahmai Mashack made that shot for the win, it was so exciting to hear the arena erupt like it did! Since it was against Alabama, it was that much sweeter to win like that too. Hearing “Dixieland Delight” and smelling the cigar smoke (a tradition that fans partake in) fill up the arena was just the cherry on top!
The Volunteers lost to Florida in the SEC tourney title game but still earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney: how exciting was it to hear your team’s name called on Selection Sunday? It is so exciting to be part of a team that gets to go to March Madness. We are a #2 seed, which is awesome/exciting, but it really is a crazy tournament with all of the upsets and everything that goes on throughout the month. It is so cool to be at a school where both the men and women get to compete for a national title: they both have a great shot at winning it.
You were 1 of a record 14 SEC teams to make the tourney: what is it like to be part of the greatest conference in the history of the sport? Being a part of the SEC is such a unique/cool experience. This year especially, you can see how strong the conference really is. It is inspiring to be around the best of the best and compete with each other. There is a lot of love (and a whole lot of rivalry!) in the building during the tournament. The SEC tournament just has a certain feel to it: it really does ‘just mean more!’
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? At Tennessee, we send cheer/dance/mascots as a part of our spirit squad. Once they do the numbers, it turns out that 4 cheer couples can go (one girl + one boy on the team = a ‘”couple”‘) and 4 dancers get to go along with our mascot (Smokey). Our coaches decide who gets to travel mainly by seniority and grades. I am a senior so I am FINALLY getting to travel and am so excited! It is especially fun because the people I am traveling with are mainly upperclassmen. I have known them for a while and we have become a tight-knit group after traveling together this year!
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for next week? Something special that we have planned for this week is that we are getting to wear a “travel uniform”. We usually only bring these uniforms out for special trips and it feels like an honor to wear them. We also always bring our A-game to the court when we support our Vols on the road!
Any predictions for your game on Thursday vs. Wofford in Lexington? My prediction is that the Vols will advance and will be playing again on Saturday! I think that this basketball team is special and you can see how badly the want it. There is a lot of heart behind the team and they seem to be peaking at the right time. If I had to put a number to it, I would say an 88-70 Vols’ victory. March Madness can be interesting with upsets so I think Wofford may put up a good fight in the beginning, but I think that we will pull away in the end. I think this is the year for the Vols!
