January 16, 2026
Golden: Ferris State cheer and STUNT’s team’s partnership with assisted living facility is a finalist for NCAA community engagement award
The Ferris State University cheer and STUNT team’s partnership with an assisted living facility is in the running for a 2026 NCAA Award of Excellence for community engagement and leadership.
The team, in its inaugural year, was selected as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference nominee and a finalist for the prestigious honor through the collaboration with The Brook of Big Rapids.
The student-athletes organized monthly "Pamper Days" at the assisted living facility, creating joyful experiences for the residents, spending time with residents.
The residents then joined the cheer and STUNT team as the “Golden Girls,” at the Oct. 11 football game, participating in cheers and a routine at halftime.
The Golden Girls performing at a home football game on October 11, 2025.
The 39-member cheer and STUNT team completed more than 765 community engagement hours.
"This is a tremendous honor for Ferris State University, Bulldog Athletics and our STUNT program to be chosen as a national finalist for this award," Ferris State Athletics Director Steve Brockelbank said. "Our teams annually help give back to the local community and this was a great initiative that was implemented this past year that shows just how engaged our student-athletes are and how important service is to our programs."
The finalists were chosen by a committee of athletics administrators and the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, with the SAAC members selecting the top three finalists.
Those honorees, including the winner, will be announced at the Division II business session this month at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area.
Each finalist will receive $750. The winner will receive $3,000, with the second-place finisher getting $1,750 and the third-place finisher awarded $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC programming or community engagement events.
The STUNT program will make its debut this spring at Ferris State and represents the first sport added by the university in 25 years. The sport is an exciting head-to-head competition between teams who execute skills-based routines in various categories including partner stunts, jumps and tumbling, pyramids and tosses along with team routines.
It is one of the fastest-growing female sports in the country and became the 18th team in Ferris State's athletic program lineup.
The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Perrmella Harris, will hold a Crimson & Gold Scrimmage on Jan. 24 at the Ewigleben Sports Complex and then open the 2026 campaign at home on Feb. 8 versus University of Michigan and Northern Kentucky University in Big Rapids.