Western Carolina University

Western Carolina student-athlete and cheerleading alum Sarena Burrell joined the Catamount Cheerleading squad as an assistant coach under first-year head coach Lauren Brooks, a fellow alum of the program, in the fall of 2023.
 
Burrell has 20 years of cheerleading experience including five years of collegiate cheer at Western Carolina where she was a part of WCU’s competition team that competed at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) competition in Daytona Beach, Fla. Her experience also includes first-place winning choreography competition routines for Erwin Middle School.
 
Originally from Asheville, Burrell has been involved with cheerleading since an early age. She also was part of a three-time state champion cheer squad at Erwin High School, claiming the overall champion status against all-girl and coed squads as a sophomore. In addition to her four years of high school cheer, Burrell additionally cheered in middle school and was a part of competitive cheer all-star squads including Rockstar Cheer for three years, while also cheering for the Erwin district youth sports.
 
Burrell is a 2023 graduate of Western Carolina with a BSBA in marketing and a BSBA in innovation leadership and entrepreneurship. In addition to working with the Catamount spirit squad, Burrell is also the marketing director for Tameless Performance in Asheville.