The award-winning cheerleading squads at Hawai‘i Pacific University are welcoming a new member to the team. Matt Parkey has been named the new head cheerleading coach.

The nine-time national championship cheerleader has been cheering since he was a sophomore in high school. “I always thought I’d be involved in cheerleading,” said Parkey. “I didn’t want to give it up.”

Parkey is experienced in gymnastics, cheerleading instruction, and choreography. He moved to Hawai‘i this summer from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, where he was cheerleading captain for two years and earned a B.A. in communication.

He recently graced the cover of Cheerleader & Danz magazine.

Parkey says he’s excited about this year’s HPU cheer team. “We have a great group,” Parkey said. His experience will no doubt help to continue HPU’s winning tradition.

In April, the Hawai‘i Pacific University Cheerleaders placed first in their division at the National Cheerleaders Association Chick-fil-A Collegiate Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, beating out hundreds of the top U.S. college teams. In 2003, the HPU team also took home the first-place trophy.