Hoops HD

Last Saturday St. Louis lost to Dayton 70-69 in the A-10 tourney semifinals but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Billikens had not made the NCAA tourney since 2019, but after winning a school-record 29 games this year including a 102-77 win over Georgia on Thursday, they will face #7 seed Michigan in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon with the winner going to the Sweet 16. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with St. Louis cheerleader Morgan Stojack about how it compares to being a competitive gymnast and making the NCAA tourney.

You moved around a lot as a kid: what made you choose St. Louis? I had the opportunity to visit St. Louis in high school for a gymnastics meet, and during that trip I was able to tour SLU. I immediately connected with the beautiful campus, and the city reminded me of Cincinnati a lot, which gave me a familiar feeling. Since being here, I have come to really appreciate everything St. Louis has to offer, both within the city and in the surrounding neighborhoods.

You are in your 1st professional year of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program: how did you choose that subject? Growing up in gymnastics, I experienced several injuries that required physical therapy. Through that process, I was able to see the clinical environment firsthand and develop strong relationships with my physical therapists. I always looked forward to my sessions, and those experiences really inspired me to pursue a career in physical therapy so I could have that same positive impact on others.

What is the post-graduation plan? I will graduate this May with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, along with minors in Nutrition, Health and Wellness, and Interprofessional Education. After that, I will continue in graduate school for two more years to complete my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Following graduation, I hope to pursue a pediatric residency to further specialize as a pediatric physical therapist.

You are on the cheer team: how long have you been cheering for? I have only been cheering for a total of 4 years: coming into college I had never cheered for a school team in my life. I went through my freshman year of college not participating in cheer or any sort of athletics. I soon realized how much I missed being a part of a team and utilizing my gymnastics skills, so I decided to try out for SLU’s cheer team. Since then, I have served as a back spot, contributed my tumbling skills out on the court numerous times, and have taken on leadership roles such as co-conditioning chair/co-captain.

You were a competitive gymnast for 15 years: is that as perfect a connection to cheerleading as it sounds? In some ways, yes, but there are also key differences. Gymnastics provided me with a strong foundation in tumbling, strength, technique, and performance, all of which translated well to cheer. It also helped build confidence by performing in front of an audience. I have gained skills from gymnastics that aided me in my transition to cheer, especially with stunting and having sharp motions during our cheer and ditties (dances). Also, the performance aspect of gymnastics, in a floor and beam routine, gave me confidence in performing out on the court. However, when I first started cheering, I had never stunted before. This was a skill completely new to me, especially with being a back spot. Although you are part of a team, gymnastics, by its nature, is an individual sport. Cheer is the exact opposite: it is 100% a team sport where you rely on your teammates to do their part and in return, they rely on you. As a back spot, you are the one communicating to your stunt group and other stunt groups around you, calling what skills everyone will be doing and making sure you and every other stunt group are on count together. In gymnastics I never had to communicate with anyone other than myself while competing, but in cheer that is one of my main roles now. Stunting and crowd engagement can be a little intimidating to someone who has never cheered before, but they are 100% doable and you grow to absolutely love it, because I know I have. Gymnastics will always be my first love, but cheer has become a very close second.

You have a strong interest in overall wellness/staying active: any tips for our readers who want to get in shape? One of the most important things is finding a form of exercise that you genuinely enjoy. Wellness and staying active look different for everyone, so discovering something you look forward to doing makes it much easier to stay consistent.

How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Our team selects who travels to the NCAA Tournament based on several factors. SLU brings six cheerleaders and six dancers, and those who were at the A-10 Conference Tournament are typically selected first. Travel for the A-10 tourneys is determined by factors such as appearance points and stunt position. We earn appearance points by participating in events both on campus and in the community, such as other SLU sporting events, local races, and programs like SPENSA (Special Needs Soccer Association). Additionally, we must ensure we can form a complete stunt group, which requires a minimum of 2 bases, 1 back spot, and 1 flyer, then 2 additional spots will be filled. For this tournament we have 2 people from each stunt position here. Having the opportunity to perform on a national stage is incredibly meaningful. It is such a unique experience to represent our school at that level, and is something I am very grateful to be a part of.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Buffalo? While here, we had the chance to visit Niagara Falls, which was an amazing experience and so beautiful. We are also planning to explore more of Buffalo and try some local restaurants during the rest of our time here.

Last night you beat Georgia by 25 PTS: where did that experience rank among the best of your life so far? That was easily one of the best experiences of my life. If you had told me four years ago that I would be cheering in the NCAA Tournament, I would not have believed it. And not only is our basketball team playing in the first round, but they are absolutely dominating the game…against an SEC school! Being out on the court is one of my favorite places to be and getting to do that on one of the biggest stages of college basketball was amazing. I am so grateful for this opportunity and to experience this once in a lifetime event with all my teammates/best friends.

Any predictions for the Billikens tomorrow vs. Michigan? I am very confident in this Billiken team heading into tomorrow’s game against Michigan. It will be a competitive matchup, but this team has a lot of talent and determination. I know they are going to give it everything they have. I know for a fact that my cheer team and I will be doing everything we can to support this team sitting on the baseline. If we provide a positive and strong home-like environment, we have a high chance of beating Michigan.