Kelli Makowski enters her second season as head coach of Gannon University’s competitive cheer and dance teams in 2026 after being promoted to the role on Aug. 1, 2024.
In her first season leading the program in 2025, Makowski guided the Golden Knights to a strong competitive year that included multiple first-place finishes and three top-three results at the NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Gannon opened the season at the Spirit Against Cancer Cheer and Dance Competition at Penn State Behrend, earning first-place finishes in Game Day Cheer (95.76/100), Team Performance Dance (73.43/80), and Hip Hop Dance (63.66/70). The Golden Knights followed that performance with another sweep of first-place finishes at the New England Open Cheer and Dance Championship in Connecticut.
During the season, Gannon also placed first at both the Mid-Atlantic College Nationals Showcase and the Upstate Collegiate Showcase before turning its focus to Nationals.
At the 2025 NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships, the Golden Knights placed third in Team Performance Dance (82.925), third in Game Day Cheer (86.7334), and third in Hip Hop Dance (86.2286) in the national finals.
Makowski also helped lead the competitive cheer and dance program to raise $4,286.87 for Make-A-Wish, the highest total among all Gannon Athletics teams during the 2024–25 academic year.
A 2018 Gannon graduate, Makowski previously served as an assistant coach with the program from 2021–24 after competing as a student-athlete from 2015–17. During her time on staff, she helped Gannon earn several national finals appearances and top finishes across multiple divisions.
As a student-athlete, Makowski competed as a flyer in both the All-Girl and Co-ed divisions. In 2017, she helped Gannon finish fourth nationally in Co-ed and fifth in All-Girl. In 2016, Gannon placed fifth in Co-ed at Nationals and second in the Challenge Cup for All-Girl. In 2015, she helped Gannon advance to the All-Girl Division II finals and finish sixth in the nation.
Prior to attending Gannon, Makowski trained in dance beginning at age two and competed from ages 10 to 18.
Makowski earned her bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Communication from Gannon in 2018 while minoring in Fine Arts Applied, Marketing, and Business Administration.
