Lesley shines in classroom and on the field

EASLEY — On the high school level, they often say you can quickly tell a Division I athlete in warm ups. They might throw down a big spike in warm ups before a volleyball match or unload a 50-yard bomb in football to a receiver on a fly pattern.

Cheerleading is no different.

Easley senior Hannah Lesley is one of those standout athletes. She started out at a high-level in gymnastics and excelled in those key areas — balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination and endurance. She’s been a varsity cheerleader since junior high for the Green Wave.

Lesley, with a 4.9 grade point average, is planning to major in nursing next year at Clemson University and she hopes to be on the Tigers club team for cheerleading.

“I found that good time management and balancing it with friends gets rid of the stress,” said Lesley, the first Student Athlete of the Month for The Easley Progress newspaper. “It can be difficult, but I find it pretty easy.”

Added EHS coach Lauren Hudson, about the academic side of it all, “We have a great group of girls all the way around. It is part of the culture (at Easley) and they understand you have to do your academics. This is the fun stuff (on game night) and this is a privilege, but you have to make sure that you are balancing those so that you can enjoy both of them.”

Several members of Lesley’s family have attended Clemson University and it’s been a dream of hers to go there. Coach Hudson is quick to say that she wishes Lesley wasn’t a senior.

But looking ahead to next year, with the hopes of going to Clemson, Lesley is excited about her future as a student athlete.

“I love the atmosphere (at Clemson games) and how excited everyone gets and watching the cheerleaders do their stunts,” said Lesley. “They are really cool.”