Lowell Catholic team heading to nationals
LOWELL >> The Lowell Catholic cheerleaders are heading to nationals.
After a successful run at the fall state tournament, the Crusaders have qualified for the Americheer Nationals, to be held Saturday and Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
The Crusaders have placed in the top three at every invitational they’ve entered. This includes a first-place showing at the Shepherd Hill Invitational and clinching a Division 4 North Regional championship.
This also marks the first time Lowell Catholic will attend nationals in two decades.
Representing the team are seniors Emily Mucci (Pepperell), Brianna Delucia (Dracut), Juana Figueroa (Tewksbury), sophomores Abigail Peck (Dracut), Abigail Beauregard (Dracut), freshmen Molly Kierce (Tewksbury), Gianna Pereira (Tewksbury), Jelexa Cortes (Lowell), Hope Dinsmore (Lowell), and eighth-graders Giuliana Alvarez-desotomayor (Tyngsboro), Bella Bardsley (Lowell) and Illyana Guerrero (Dracut).
“The team is very excited to have qualified for nationals,” said coach Britney Nolin. “One thing we’ve been trying to promote on the LC cheer team is confidence. One line in our cheer this year is ‘LCHS, we’re determined. Believe it.’ Their state of mind taking the mat has a huge outcome on how they perform and their increased confidence and team camaraderie this year has been proof of that.”
Coached by Nolin and her cousin, Lowell Catholic grad Katelyn Swartz, the pair began building the program in 2016, starting with just seven girls on the squad. They started making serious strides by heading to states in March 2019 before fate interceded.
“We finally had a solid team,” said Nolin. “And then COVID cancelled the tournament, but we’re finally back to building a strong program with hopes of adding a JV team next year.”
The Lowell Catholic cheerleaders will compete Saturday and Sunday at the Americheer Nationals in Orlando, Fla. Representing the team are seniors Emily Mucci (Pepperell), Brianna Delucia (Dracut), Juana Figueroa (Tewksbury), sophomores Abigail Peck (Dracut), Abigail Beauregard (Dracut), freshmen Molly Kierce (Tewksbury), Gianna Pereira (Tewksbury), Jelexa Cortes (Lowell), Hope Dinsmore (Lowell), and eighth-graders Giuliana Alvarez-desotomayor (Tyngsboro), Bella
Bardsley (Lowell) and Illyana Guerrero (Dracut). The team is coached by cousins
Britney Nolin and Lowell Catholic graduate Katelyn Swartz.