Last week UNCW beat Delaware 76-72 in the CAA tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Seahawks only won 7 games in 2021 but have now had 4 winning seasons in a row and are heading to the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2017. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with UNCW cheerleader Sydney Collins about being a good leader and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Hamptonville, NC: what made you choose UNCW? I chose UNCW because I have always loved the beach. I also thought that it would be good for me to move farther away from home to get out of my comfort zone.
You are majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate: how did you choose those subjects? Business has always been the plan for me, but I did not know what I wanted to concentrate on until the school started offering real estate. I feel it is easy to figure out what you like and do not like in business school since you take so many classes from all different parts of the business world.
You are a senior: what is the post-graduation plan? I would love to stay in Wilmington after I graduate. I am still sorting out my job options, but right now I am trying to soak up every last moment of my final semester at UNCW.
You have been captain of your team the past 2 years: what is the key to being a good leader? I think the key to being a good leader is showing up everyday and letting your team know that you have their back no matter what, both in/out of practice. I also think it is very important to build a relationship with each individual on the team: figure out what drives them to be better, and be their biggest motivator throughout the process.
1 of your hobbies is reading: and book recommendations for our readers? I recently read “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle. It is about friendship, loyalty, and understanding the nature of our destiny in this life: it is a great short read.
In the CAA tourney title game the Seahawks had a 4-PT win over Delaware to clinch the title: what was the reaction like after the final buzzer went off, and how excited is everyone on campus this week? I remember after the buzzer went off everyone ran out on the court and was jumping around and hugging. I saw so many videos of people gathered together on and off campus cheering for the guys after they won. It is so nice to know that they have so many people cheering for them: not only at the game but back home too.
Your team has won 15 of its past 17 games: has it reached a point where everyone expects the team to win every time that they step onto the court? I definitely think that there is an expectation for these guys to win. We expect a lot out of them because we see the potential this team has. However, we are there to cheer them on no matter the outcome.
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? We are very fortunate to be able to bring 12 cheerleaders to the NCAA tournament. We want to be able to represent our school/program to the best of our ability. I am so excited to have this opportunity, especially during my senior year. My team works incredibly hard and I cannot wait to cheer the team on!
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for this week? None of us have ever been to Kansas before so we are excited to go explore…but honestly we are most excited to cheer on our Seahawks on Thursday night.
Any predictions for your game vs. Texas Tech on Thursday in Wichita? I think this team is going to surprise a lot of people. You can really tell how much heart these guys put into every game and I am excited to see what they do on Thursday night.
