Baker Announces Cheer Coaching Transition, Names Myranda Hoversten Head Cheer Coach

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - Baker University has announced a leadership transition within its cheer program as assistant coach Myranda Hoversten has been promoted to head coach, while current head coach Melissa Shipman will serve in a new role as Cheer & Mascot Coordinator.

Hoversten will enter her first season as head coach after serving as an assistant coach on Shipman's staff for the past six years. The duo arrived at Baker in January 2023 after coaching together at Avila and have helped elevate the Wildcats into one of the Heart of America Athletic Conference's top cheer programs.

"I'm incredibly grateful to step into this role and I've been fortunate to learn from one of the best coaches and mentors in this industry," Hoversten said. "Melissa's leadership has shown me that coaching is about much more than skills and competitions - it's about investing in your athletes. I'm honored to carry that philosophy forward and help shape young women into leaders in the classroom, on the mat and in life."

As the Wildcats' Cheer & Mascot Coordinator, Shipman will continue helping with the program's administrative and operational duties while mentoring Hoversten throughout the transition. Three years into her battle with metastatic breast cancer, Shipman will conclude her coaching career after the 2026-27 season.

"I could not be more excited for Myranda to be taking over this program," Shipman said. "She's ambitious, coaches with a growth mindset, and holds her athletes accountable. She has been by my side, dreaming the same dreams of how to grow this program, and I look forward to spending my last year alongside her while she elevates Baker Cheer even further."

The Baker cheer team is coming off one of the program's best seasons, earning a third-place finish at the Heart Championships and going on to compete at the 2025-26 NAIA Competitive Cheer Championships, which were hosted in Topeka, Kan. Three Wildcats became the first NAIA All-Americans in program history with Alaina Lorfing (First Team), Jaiden Fisher (Third Team) and Abby Patz (Third Team) all earning the honor.

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