Senior Paige Ernst became the first Baldwin cheerleader to move on to a Division 1 program on Monday as she signed to attend Morehead State.

Morehead State, located in Kentucky, has competed in cheer since 1988 and has won numerous Universal Cheerleader Association titles. Ernst will be a main base and a tumbler for the Eagles.

“It’s exciting and overwhelming to be the first from Baldwin” to earn a spot on a Division 1 squad, Ernst said. “I’m so excited to start a new journey at Morehead.”

Ernst said that the small, hometown feel of Morehead appealed to her over other schools. And the cheer accolades were icing on the cake.

“It’s very different from Pittsburgh. There’s a small town feel to it and their success in cheer is appealing,” Ernst said. “I wanted to be as far away from Pittsburgh as possible, personally.”

For now, Ernst will be on a rigorous workout plan set up by her coach at Morehead to prepare.

“(He) has me doing different workouts. I have to run two miles every other day, I have to do 10 standing tucks on concrete, and certain stunting techniques and endurance workouts,” Ernst said.

Junior cheerleader Alaina Wodarek said Ernst played a key role on Baldwin’s cheer squad.

“She’s always positive and makes everyone comfortable,” Wodarek said. “She goes out of her way to help others. She always motivated me and she always made it fun at practice.”