MONT ALTO, Pa. — The Penn State Mont Alto cheerleading squad has named sophomore captain Hayley Mellott (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg HS) its December cheerleader of the month.

Mellott, a flyer/backspot, was nominated by her teammates for her dedication and willingness to take on new skills."

"Hayley is an experienced cheerleader, but new to our team this year and had a high school career curtailed by COVID," said head coach Jennifer Deinlein. "You wouldn't know it, though. She's worked hard to regain her skills and learn new ones; she'll try anything in stunting, flying, backspotting or even basing if we need her to. It also says a lot that her teammates see her as a leader and elected her captain as a rookie."

The cheerleader of the month is determined by team nominations and goes to a squad member who stands out in her efforts on and off the court.

The Penn State Mont Alto cheerleading squad cheers at all home men's and women's basketball games. They are in action next on Friday, Jan. 13 when both basketball teams take on Penn State York.