Spirit Squad Staff

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Erynn Butzke
Spirit Squad Head Coach
ebutzke@huskers.com | 402-472-0846

Erynn Butzke has served as Nebraska's Spirit Squad Head Coach since 2011. In her role, she directs the Cheer Squad, Scarlets Dance Team and Mascot program and oversees their performances in more than 200 events each season.

The mission of the Nebraska Spirit Squad is to unify students, alumni and fans in support of the University of Nebraska and its athletes. The talented and dedicated members of Nebraska's spirit program motivate and entertain the crowd, promote school spirit and represent the university at campus and community events. They perform at athletic events and serve as ambassadors for the Athletic Department and the University of Nebraska by attending numerous community and philanthropic events each year.

Butzke was a member of the Scarlets Dance Team from 2000 to 2003, placing second in Division 1A Jazz at UDA College Nationals in 2001. After college she spent a year cheering for the Denver Broncos and coaching the Fossil Ridge High School Dance Team in Fort Collins, Colo. Butzke returned to Nebraska after performing as a dancer, choreographer and director for several college, high school and community dance groups including Los Angeles based--Diavolo II and the Omaha Moving Company.

Butzke earned her bachelor's degree in English from Nebraska in 2003.

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Nikki Kimura
Assistant Spirit Squad Coach
nkimura@huskers.com

Nikki Kimura joined the Nebraska Athletic Department in June of 2018 and is Nebraska's spirit squad assistant coach since 2018. In her role, she assists the cheer squad, scarlets dance team and the mascot program. She also oversees their performances at more than 200 events each year.

A Omaha native, Kimura was previously the head cheer and dance coach at Hastings College in Hastings, Neb. While at Hastings she had back-to-back GPAC (Great Plains Athletic Conference) Conference titles with Hastings College Cheer, led the NAIA in academic All-Americans and received both the 2018 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year and 2018 GPAC Dance Coach of the Year awards, voted on by her peers. In her time at Hastings College, the Broncos made multiple appearances at NAIA regional and national competitions with both the cheer and dance teams. Kimura was also the Competitive Cheer and Dance GPAC Conference Chair.

Kimura earned her bachelor's degree in advertising from Northwest Missouri State University in 2007