Graceland Cheer Program Announces Kendall Smith as New Head Coach

Lamoni, Ia. – Athletic Director Brady McKillip announced this week that Kendall Smith has been hired as the head coach of Graceland's cheer program.

"I'm excited to have Coach Smith join the Graceland family. With his experience coaching athletes of all different experience levels, I know he will be a great asset to the cheer program and create memorable gameday moments," McKillip said.

Smith cheered for Missouri Valley College while getting his BS in Criminal Justice and minor in Sociology. As a member of that squad, he was a 4-time Conference and Regional Champion and an NAIA National Champion in 2018. Smith brings an elite knowledge of the sport to the Yellowjackets and has been an instructor for the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) since 2016, where he has been teaching and coaching cheerleaders of all different ages and backgrounds.

"I'm excited to continue the competitive nature here," said Smith. "I know that cheer has always been a team that can stand within themselves, and I hope to continue that future and brighten their futures with more potential competitive nature, revamp the gameday aspect, while bringing more school spirit to all the different games, fundraising opportunities, and the gameday atmosphere."

Graceland's Cheer Program under Smith will also work closely with Head Dance Coach JaShawn Walker and the Gadets this coming season to create exciting gameday performances to enhance students' Graceland experience.

For updates on cheerleading and all our teams, follow @GUjackets on Twitter and like us at Facebook.com/GUjackets.

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