UC's twirlers are a trio of engineers
Lexi Peats, Erienne Hay, and Darla Kern are the university's feature twirlers
The Bearcat Bands are an iconic part of the University of Cincinnati student experience. Bringing tradition, spirit, and excitement to sporting events and campus life, every part of the band is critical to its success.
The College of Engineering and Applied Science has strong representation in the band and all three of the university's feature twirlers for 2025-2026 are engineering students.
"To my knowledge, I was the first engineer to be a feature twirler in a very long time, and immediately after me came Erienne and Darla," said Lexi Peats, a fifth-year architectural engineering student from Perrysburg, Ohio.
The 2025-2026 feature twirlers are all engineering students. From left to right: Darla Kern, Lexi Peats, and Erienne Hay. Photo/Provided
For all three students, they chose UC for the engineering program and the twirling program.
Darla Kern, a second-year electrical engineering student is from Ontario, Canada, and came to UC because of the reputation of both programs.
"Twirling was a big draw for me to come to the U.S. for school. There wasn't an opportunity for me to grow in my twirling career back home," Kern said. "I was looking at schools that had good twirling programs and good engineering programs, and UC seemed like a great place to be all around."
Although baton twirling is a niche sport, the community is large, especially in the U.S. By population, the U.S. has the largest number of twirlers in the world. Kern shared that growing up, most of her competitions were in the U.S. because there were so few athletes in Canada.
Baton twirling, commonly referred to as twirling, is both an art and a sport that involves athletes combining dancing, gymnastic elements, and extreme coordination to throw, catch, and manipulate batons, sometimes two or three, in their performances. As mentioned above, the sport is largest in the U.S., common at parades and halftime shows, as well as twirling competitions.
Erienne Hay is a third generation twirler. Photo/Provided
All three of the students started twirling at a young age. For Erienne Hay, a third-year aerospace engineering student from Painesville, Ohio, twirling is in her blood. A third-generation twirler, she received her first baton the day she was born. When it came time to decide about college, she knew she wanted to twirl before she knew she wanted to be an engineer.
Nonetheless, each of the students had to find a university that aligned with both their academic as well as athletic goals which was not necessarily an easy feat.
"Twirling opportunities at different colleges can mean entirely different things," Peats said. "I was really interested in another school, but their twirling program is a club team that doesn't get to perform at any football games. The gameday atmosphere at Cincinnati is the best part."
For Lexi Peats, some of the best moments twirling at UC were on game day. Photo/Provided
The gameday experience at UC is a unique one for the feature twirlers. In almost every formation, they lead the band, doing routines that have been passed down for generations of UC feature twirlers. As part of the band, they interact with fans and alumni on game days, ensuring a great experience for everyone there. Representing the Bearcats with pride, the feature twirlers help amp up the crowd, adding to the energy of the fans and the entire gameday atmosphere.
The audition process is comprehensive. To be a Bearcat feature twirler, athletes must be well-rounded both in their performance skills and in general. Additionally, they must be able to perform as a unit and individually.
"There are times when we twirl together, but then we break apart and do things on our own, in our own style as individual twirlers," Hay said.
Darla Kern is from Ontario, Canada, and came to UC to continue her twirling career. Photo/Provided
The pregame performances are tradition, passed down from UC twirlers year after year. However, during the other portions of the performance when they are twirling as a trio, it's up to them to choreograph that routine.
They all share the same sentiment that being both a twirler and an engineering student requires discipline and commitment. Between balancing practices and games, as well as rigorous engineering coursework and co-op work, this group is no stranger to dedication. Furthermore, as engineering students, they often bond about certain classes and professors, sharing the CEAS experience with one another. Twirling wise, the busiest semester is the fall. They perform at all home football games and practice schedules are more rigorous during this time. The cooperative education (co-op) program at UC is structured in a way that students alternate semesters of coursework with semesters working in the field. The girls had to take this into consideration when searching for and accepting co-op roles.
"For me personally, I talked with my co-op adviser freshman year to see if I could request my first rotation land in the spring," Hay said. "It worked out, so I got a job here in Cincinnati so for my second rotation at the same company, I would be local for football season."
Despite the busyness of fall semester with frequent practices and football season on top of coursework, Peats said she is actually more productive during those hectic times, as she has to ensure she makes time to get everything done.
"Being able to go from classes all day to take a break and do something we love is really really nice," Hay said.
All three of the student-athletes have competed individually at the national level, representing Team USA and Team Canada in various competitions. At UC, they've had the opportunity to travel with the football team to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis and to Arrowhead Stadium, where Taylor Swift was in attendance!
"Something fun we get to do is a chant that's just for engineers at the start of the fourth quarter at football games," Peats said. "We all scream the chant and get to bond over engineering."
Another fun opportunity the feature twirlers have is to participate in the annual Twirler for a Day event. Once a year, K-12 twirlers get the chance to come to campus and perform with the feature twirlers for one song during halftime at a football game. Peats shared that she attended this event multiple times as a girl, making it full circle when she became one of the feature twirlers herself.
Featured image at top: Left to right: Erienne Hay, Lexi Peats, and Darla Kern are the university's feature twirlers for the 2025-2026 year. Photo/provided.
Interested in the Feature Twirlers?
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