Westcliff Cheer Sweeps End-of-the-Year Awards
October 4, 2023
By Francisco Claudio
In the month of September, the Westcliff Athletics Department held its first in-person end-of-the-year award ceremony encompassing every sports program.
There was much to celebrate after the success that the athletics department had experienced in the 2022-23 season.
In total, there were 12 championships, 50 all-conference players, 180+ team awards/accolades, and five NAIA All Americans.
The event was meant to be a celebration of all the student-athletes who sacrificed and gave their all to represent Westcliff Athletics in the best way possible.
But there are always a couple of standout athletes who need to be recognized for going above and beyond what is asked of them.
Nicolas Pulido was awarded the Westcliff Male Athlete of the Year Award after an extraordinary season that culminated with the team winning the national championship.
Head coach Eric Anderson spoke on Pulido and the type of student-athlete he is: "Nicolas is a good student and as you know a pretty good athlete. He is a hard worker and is not satisfied with mediocrity in any aspect of what he does. Sometimes this can also be a weakness for him. He is a leader by example, an awesome role model when it comes to practice, and pushes his teammates in a positive way."
But there is still more for Pulido to achieve and Anderson is eager to see what his athlete is capable of as the next couple of months go by.
"I look forward to him approaching the elite level in partner stunting," Anderson said. "Right now he is at the top in the NAIA in stunting but I think he can be one of the top stunters in all the divisions.
The next award is one of the most sought out as well: The Team of the Year Award.
Again, the Westcliff Cheer program was at the forefront as the whole team was recognized for their accomplishments last season.
"Bringing the team together and being united is an ongoing process," Anderson said. Last year we had a lot of adversity to overcome that caused some setbacks. But we had to refer back to the goals that we set, remember why we do what we do, and trust our training.
"The veterans really stepped up as leaders, supported the coaches, and motivated the rookies. In 2022 coming in 2nd place at Nationals by Hundredths of a point was a huge motivation as well."
The team added some more awards as Pulido won the Building Greatness Award and Coach Anderson won the Dr. David McKinney Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
"As a coach, I am very proud of the team for everything they had to overcome not only to be a student-athlete but to be a National Champion," Anderson said. "I am honored for them being recognized by the athletic department and my coaching peers for being Team of the Year."
"Our goal is to be better than we were last year, improve our team culture, and repeat as National Champions."
Last but definitely not least, Coach Anderson was recognized by all of the other coaches in the department as the Coach of the Year.
"I wasn't expecting to be The Coach of the Year," Anderson said. "We have some amazing coaches that I personally look up to here on staff at Westcliff. Once again I am so honored and humbled to be recognized by the athletic department and my coaching peers.
"This year marks my 42 years of coaching and I absolutely love what I do. It is not about me, it's about the team and the athletes. None of these honors or awards are won because of one coach, it takes a village. I have had the backing and support from my assistant coaches Brian Jones, Edith Cui, and Johnny Castro.
"Michael Hardaway personally recruited me for the position, Dean Harris who believed in my vision for the program, and my Athletic Director Katie Rouse for making sure we have everything we need to succeed and personally inspiring me through the process."