LORMAN, Miss. – A four-year member and three-year Team Captain of the Alcorn State University cheerleading team, senior Arielle Miles was named the 2019 Alcorn Cheerleader of the Year, announced by head coach Kiwanis Barnes.
 
"I'm surprised to be honest. I've never looked to put myself ahead of anyone else. I'm always looking at my teammates to see how they can be better and what we can do to improve as a team," Miles said. "I try to do as much as I can for the program, and there's a lot more that goes into it than just cheering on game days."
 
Miles, who performs at the base position and also tumbles, said the season was a tremendous success for the team as they battled through a lot of adversity.
 
"This whole season was memorable, especially for the seniors. We've had a lot of twists and turns, and overcame a lot since we've been here. We're on our third coach in four years, and we've had so many people come and go on our team. We're constantly teaching new things to new members to get them up to par," Miles said. "This was a redemption year for us and we felt we had a lot to prove."
 
Miles was one of three captains in 2019 along with seniors Jazmin Green and Alleon Thigpen. In addition to her cheering duties, Miles was tasked with inventory, creating itineraries on the road and scheduling weekly plans."
 
"I try to help Coach Barnes as much as I possibly can so that she doesn't have to worry, and the team doesn't have to worry. I wanted to try and make life easy for everyone on the team," Miles said.
 
Miles and the cheerleading team practiced every day during football season, in addition to workouts. A routine day for the cheerleaders included class in the morning, lunch, workouts with strength coach Lonnie Maddox and then team practices with Coach Barnes.
 
"Arielle has been the foundation of our squad this year. Her leadership and skills are impeccable, and every single person on this team respects her. Her desire to see everybody on the team be great is what I think her team values the most about her," Barnes said. "It's not what you take, but what you leave behind that defines greatness. Teams for years to come will know the impact that Arielle had on Alcorn's cheer program. I will definitely miss her. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and I look forward to seeing her impact on the world and society."
 
Miles said the most memorable moment of the season came in the opener at Southern Miss.
 
"We wanted to 'wow' the fans and show them that we came back a lot better this year. Our freshmen stepped up to the plate and came through from week one. We received a lot of compliments from people, even from those that don't know a lot about cheer," Miles said.
 
Miles didn't start cheerleading until she was 14 years old. She danced previously, but then tried-out for Titan Athletics, a private competitive cheer team. She was a four-year member of Titan Athletics in high school before cheering collegiately.
 
A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Miles choose Alcorn over staying locally at Grambling State. Miles sent in her cheer tapes to Alcorn at the end of her senior year of high school, and was informed over the summer in 2016 that she had made the Alcorn cheerleading squad as an incoming freshman.
 
"Alcorn offered everything I wanted. They had my major, and the area wasn't too far from home but not too close either. I was going to be able to continue cheerleading and it was the perfect fit for me," Miles said.
 
Miles arrived at Alcorn in Fall 2016 and made her cheerleading debut at Alcorn's football game in Daytona Beach, Florida in the SWAC/MEAC Challenge against Bethune-Cookman on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016.
 
She remained on the team all four years and will wrap-up her career after the 2019-20 basketball season.
 
"My goal from the time I arrived at Alcorn was to continue growing, never get stagnant and always improve my skills. I wanted to be better in every area, whether it be tumbling, jumps, stunts and everything else that goes with it. I've wanted to be better every year since I've been here," Miles said.
 
Miles is on pace to graduate in May 2020 with a degree in biology/pre-med. She is pursuing a career as a physician assistant and plans to attend PA school upon graduation. Her goal is to be a physician.
 
"Cheering at Alcorn is something that I wish everyone can experience. It's been fun cheering for a winning team and we got to cheer at championship games every year," Miles said. "I will have lasting relationships with so many people. The connections, networking and friendships I made along the way have been the best part. Everyone here is like family."

 

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