NGU senior cheerleader profile: Maria Neal
Hunter Merck, Staff Writer
Senior cheerleader, Maria Neal, is starting her last season as a Crusader.
Senior cheerleader Maria Neal will be hanging up her North Greenville University uniform for the final time this year. While athletics have played a huge role in the Neal’s life, she’ll be turning the page and saying goodbye to her lifelong passion.
The student-athlete from Rock Hill, S.C., attended Northwestern High school, where she cheered varsity for all four years. While Neal was a member of Northwestern’s cheer squad, the team was the runner-up at the South Carolina High School League cheerleading competition.
Neal has spent a large portion of her life in the gym, at practice or on the sidelines of football games cheering on her respective team. �Cheering at NGU has stretched my leadership skills off the field the most. [Coach] Katie Sepko pushes all of us to walk closer to Jesus everyday,� Neal says of cheering here at North Greenville.
Her favorite part of cheerleading is game day, and the relationships she�s gotten to build over the years. �Cheerleading has taught me to lead well and finish strong.�
Neal is an art major with an emphasis in photography, who hopes to find a job working with a magazine or newspaper when she graduates.
