Durant High School senior Cecilee Hill has signed to cheer at Austin College in Sherman starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
Hill said she is in her third year of competitive cheer and that she was a cheerleader in the eighth grade and her freshman and sophomore years.
“My first two years, I cheered at Topline Tumble, which is where I got my foundation of cheer,” Hill said. “Really just like introduced to what cheerleading is and then unfortunately last year, Topline closed so now I am cheering at a gym called Texas Elite in Howe.
“So, I really, really enjoyed it and I’ve loved getting to switch up a little bit my senior year and get some different teaching but definitely got my foundations from Topline and then I was able to move forward and help with some recruitment from Texas Elite.”
She expressed excitement about the opportunity to attend college and be a cheerleader.
“ I did cheer at Durant Middle School and then I just had a ton of fun to cheer at Topline, and I always thought that it would be really cool and a lot of fun,” Hill said. “So, I ended up trying out my freshman year and I just like fell in love with it right away. It’s definitely a great way to find friends who become family and so I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Her mother, Melissa Hill is excited that her daughter has this opportunity.
“Austin College, I now know, will provide her a top-notch education which was always the goal and cheer has been the pathway to get her there,” Hill said. “She was late to the game with cheer. Most kids start when they’re five or six. So, it’s really, really impressive that Cec started as a seventh grader, and she’s made it to college cheer. That’s a pretty big accomplishment.
“I’m very excited about it. Since she’s 30 minutes from here, I can make the games. I can make all of her things, so that’s exciting. We just want to thank everybody for all of the support.”
