Kansas City, MO – Freshman standout Matthew Preble has been named NAIA Honorable Mention, announced NAIA officials on Sunday evening. Preble joined UPIKE as an incoming freshman for the 2020-21 season following a decorated career at Cleveland High School.

Eleven student athletes achieved NAIA All-American status while 17 were named honorable mention. Five student athletes from the Mid-South appeared on the list, Preble being the lone selection from UPIKE.

The award comes just a few weeks after Preble was named First-Team All-MSC in February, following the teams' performance in the 2021 MSC Competitive Cheerleading Championships. He was the lone freshman from UPIKE to garner all-conference honors.

Preble began his athletic career in competitive cheer via encouragement from his peers while attending Cleveland High School. "I was always doing flips and parkour," said Preble, "my friends told me I could be successful on the cheer team." His start was traditional cheerleading, joining his teammates on the sidelines at basketball and football games but would shift towards competitive cheer in his senior season.

Following the 2019-20 season, Preble earned national recognition from the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) as an All-American. That same year, he also earned the "Why America Needs Cheerleaders" award from the UCA.

Aside from cheerleading, Matt is passionate about photography, videography, and digital media production. While at Cleveland High, Preble served as the Technical Director for CHS Live – student ran a program that provided live streaming for athletic events as well as news coverage. His interest in the field expands to hobby photography as well as graphic design which is showcased on his personal social media as well as an Instagram devoted to his work and experiences @9^th.tones.

Matthew is a member of the UPIKE Athletics Department, serving in the role of Video Production Assistant where he aides in the coverage of all 23 varsity sports. In sports information, Preble helps with streaming production, statistics, photography and creative design.

Preble and UPIKE Cheer will travel to Orlando, FL to compete in the 2021 UCA All-Star Championships held at Disney World Resort. The competition is held April 17-18^th.