Heather Nohren was recently promoted to Vice President for Student Services. Nohren has worked here on campus for the past 23 years. When asked about the status of the Cheer Team, she explained that “The Lake Land College Cheer Team has been suspended for the 2025-2026 academic year. The team was notified during a meeting on September 23, 2025.”  

“After careful consideration and review, the College was not comfortable with the direction the Cheer Team was heading.”  

“The suspension provides an opportunity to re-evaluate [what] the program needs moving forward to align future decisions with the College and Athletic Department’s mission.”  

“Lake Land College is committed to providing guidance and support services to cheer team members during this time. Their athletic scholarships were honored for the academic year.”  

Regarding the status of the coach of the Cheer Team, she stated that, “Unfortunately, I cannot share employee information.”  

Coach Haili Denning has been the head coach for the cheer team for six years. While Denning had never coached in any capacity prior, she was on the cheer team in 2006 after graduating from Neoga High School.    

The Cheer Team has made it to the national tournament most recently in 2023 and 2025. The national tournament was held at Daytona Beach, Florida at the Bandshell. The national tournament features community colleges as well as large universities such as the University of Illinois, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.   

Denning mentioned previously “All cheer teams nationwide, whether a community college or at a large university, are judged by the same standards and we compete against all of them.”  

She also explained regarding how each team is elevated in the national tournament “we are scored on the technique, difficulty, execution, crowd appeal, showmanship and a bonus if you have a mascot.”    

Let us give Nohren the support she deserves, as she, along with others in the college administration, must decide what is best for the college and the situation with the Cheerleading Team gets rectified as soon as possible.