MUNCIE, Ind.-- The Ball State Dance Team, Code Red, is one of the few teams on campus that doesn’t have a break in its season. With many alumni who have made it to professional teams after their college careers, at least one Code Red dancer would inevitably earn a chance to get a place in a bigger spotlight, and it was no different this year.
Ball State University senior and captain of Code Red, Mallory Leeper, was able to earn her spotlight by making it as one of the 48 finalists within the Colts Cheerleading auditions. It was announced on the Colts Cheer Instagram page that she, along with 47 other dancers, had been selected for the finals, where they would go to demonstrate their skills on stage at the Colts Audition Showcase on March 7, at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“When I got there, the environment was just so supportive, everybody was just constantly supporting one another, I, many times, forgot I was in an audition,” Leeper said.
Code Red head coach Kaitlyn Molin was a Colts cheerleader for five seasons. In her first season, she was named the rookie of the year. She was also Pro Bowl Cheerleader and the overall cheerleader of the year in 2024. Assistant coach Sydney Van Meter had retired from Colts Cheer in February 2026 after four years with the team. She was also named rookie of the year in her first season. In turn, Leeper has had a lot of positive influence during the audition process.
“They helped me so much, I honestly would not have been able to get through the process without them,” Leeper said.
Although Leeper did not make it to the final 2026 - 2027 Indianapolis Colts Cheer team, she still has her final Mid-American Conference tournament and National Dance Association College Nationals coming up in April.
Contact Alu Mgengo with comments at alu.mgengo@bsu.edu
