Baker University Names Shipman as New Head Cheer Coach

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Baker University Athletics has announced the hiring of Melissa Shipman as the next head cheer coach for the Wildcats.

Shipman joins the Wildcats after spending the past 15 years as the head cheer coach at former Heart of America Conference member, Avila University.

"I'm very excited to welcome Melissa to our staff and to have her as head coach of Baker cheer," said Baker Director of Athletics Susan Decker. "Melissa has an exceptional background in the industry and is highly experienced in leading a cheer program. She has proven her teams can consistently compete for championships in the Heart and on the national stage."

During her time at Avila, Shipman led the Eagles cheer squad to nine top-five finishes at the UCA College Nationals, including a national championship in 2013 in the All-Girl Cheer division. While competing in the Heart, she guided the team to four conference championships. Additionally, Shipman also served a two-year stint as Assistant Athletic Director for the Eagles from 2019-2021.

Shipman received her undergraduate degree from Park University in 2006 before going on to earn a Master's degree in Organizational Behavior in Leadership Coaching from Avila.

"As an established coach, you don't often get the opportunity to come in and build a program 15 years into your career," said Shipman. "To get that opportunity with a community like Baker, who has committed to investing in growing the cheer program as well as committing resources to that growth, is a dream come true. I can't wait to build Baker cheer into a respected, valued and competitive program and this team – full of eager, raw and talented athletes – is the perfect foundation for us to build on. The Baker cheer program will be one to watch, I can promise you that!"

The Baker cheer team is currently prepping for its upcoming competition season which gets underway with the Kansas Wesleyan Invitational on Jan. 27 in Salina, Kan.

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