#HeartCheer Places Five on NAIA All-America Teams

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Five Heart of America competitive cheer student-athletes were named to the NAIA All-America Teams. Eleven student-athletes from five different institutions were named All America status and seventeen made honorable mention. | COMPLETE LIST

Two members of the Missouri Valley cheer team were recognized as first team All-Americans. Sophomore Rylee Mills (Oak Grove, Mo.) and Freshman Edil Salinas (Honolulu, Hawaii) were both chosen to the first team. Mills earns his second All-American honor, while Salinas is an All-American for the first time at Missouri Valley. Joining the pair as an All-American is Junior Aleigha Pierce (Newcastle, Okla.), who was chosen as an honorable mention. Pierce becomes a three-time All-American for the Viking cheer program.

Missouri Valley finished fourth at the 2021 NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championship, with a final score of 90.50. The team posted a season-best 91.13 in the final round of competition.

Grace Cantrell and Kalie Whitehall, both of Graceland, were both listed as Honorable Mention selections at the national level. For Whitehall, she is now a two-time All-American selection after receiving Honorable Mention status last year as well.