Panther cheerleader Karrington Lacy signs with Mars Hill U.

Pinckneyville Community High School senior cheerleader Karrington Lacy has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Mars Hill University in North Carolina for the 2021-22 school year, in the emerging sport of Acrobatics and Tumbling. Mars Hill University is in NCAA Division II.

A transfer student to Pinckneyville for her senior year, Karrington helped to lead the Panther cheerleading team to a ninth place finish in the IHSA competition.

Karrington's strong background in gymnastics has led to this opportunity. She studied gymnastics since she was 10, as a member of Jessica Jimenez's Ultimate Gymnastics in Carbondale.

She will be a part of Coach Shelby Armstrong's inaugural Acrobatics and Tumbling team for the Mars Hill Lions in the South Atlantic Conference.

In addition to cheerleading at PCHS, at Trico High School Karrington participated in FCCLA, FBLA, the Homecoming committee, and the competitive cheer team.

At Mars Hill, Karrington plans to major in nursing, first to work in an emergency room and eventually as a forensic nurse with the FBI.

Mars Hill University, near Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains, was founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region.

The term "emerging sport" refers to an official designation by the NCAA to offer "unique, competitive opportunities to young women." About 40 colleges and universities now have official teams in Acrobatics and Tumbling.