DANVILLE, Ky. - Cheerleading, the most recent varsity sport addition at Centre College, concluded a successful season in 2021-22 that included several performances across the Colonels' football and baseball games. Inching closer and closer every day to their opening performances of competitions, we're taking the time to get to know some of the individuals that have helped build the foundation that is Centre cheer.
 
Marielena Villaran, a senior Chemistry major and Spanish minor, is a member of the class of 2022.
 
"I think my favorite part of cheering at Centre was when we finally got recognized as an official sports team at Centre," explains Villaran. "It was a big moment for the team, and we really worked hard, advocating for ourselves, to get recognized seriously by the athletics department.
 
Villaran and several other members of the cheer & stunt team have been through the transition from club to varsity sport, directed by the entrance of head coach Abby Trammel.
 
"Cheering under Head Coach Trammel has been a complete turnaround from what the program was before," stated Villaran. "Prior to her, we essentially had to coach ourselves. Now we can do harder skills and more complex things because we have someone who can give us the guidance we had wanted for so long." 
 
Like so many other student-athletes that attend Centre, Villaran has been involved in many groups and organizations outside the sidelines to take full advantage of the "Centre Experience." A member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the senior studied abroad in Germany for Centre term in 202, as well as participating in chemical research for three years with Dr. Scott that collected presentation awards, including a chance to travel to Puerto Rice to present at a conference. Villaran also serves as a chemistry teaching assistant and spends a lot of her time tutoring the subject.
 
After graduation, she plans on working at an infectious disease office while applying for medical school.