Westmont College Athletics

Beginning in the fall of 2026, Westmont will add STUNT as a varsity intercollegiate sport, bringing the school’s total number of athletic teams to 16. Competition will begin in February of 2027. In addition, Robert Ruiz, Westmont’s director of athletics, has named Ariana Johnson as the program’s inaugural head coach.
 
The governing body for STUNT - USA Cheer - describes it as:

One of the fastest growing female sports in the country, [STUNT] removes the crowd-leading element and focuses on the technical and athletic components of cheer, including partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, group jumps and tumbling. These elements are put together in short routines that both teams must perform head-to-head on the floor at the same time. The team that executes the skills best wins the round and the point. With four quarters of play – partner stunts, pyramids & tosses, jumps & tumbling, and team routine – STUNT is an exciting sport to play, coach and watch.¹

“STUNT is a sport we started considering a couple of years ago,” reported Ruiz. “One of the things that stood out is the rate at which the sport is growing in our region and in our state at the high school level. Also, some peer institutions started programs that developed and started thriving. So, when we were looking at sport offerings that made sense for our demographic, STUNT is one we paid attention to, amongst several others.
 
“Then, STUNT became an emerging sport in the NCAA. At the NCAA convention later this month, a vote will be taken on a proposal to make STUNT an official championship sport. Additionally, our conference has several schools that offer STUNT and we will be able to compete against those institutions.
 
“We have had a long standing club cheer program on campus and there has been ongoing interest over the years. STUNT has an aspect of competitive athletics that is appealing to students who also have competed in cheer. Those were some of the many reasons that led us to decide it was the right time to add it.”
 
Johnson, a sixth-generation Santa Barbaran, brings significant expertise in STUNT to Westmont. She is currently in her third season as the STUNT head coach at her alma mater – Santa Barbara High School.
 
“I have been involved in cheerleading from high school to Santa Barbara City College,” noted Johnson. “I helped out at Santa Barbara High as an assistant coach and helped out at various schools when I lived in Bend, Oregon.”
 
“I am excited to have Ariana as a new member of our department and our newest head coach,” expressed Ruiz. “She brings a nice blend of experience in her sport with a deep commitment to her faith. She is someone who understands who we are as an institution. Her passions align with our mission and she brings a level of expertise in coaching background that will help us get this program off the ground.”
 
After graduating from SBCC, Johnson attended Life Pacific from which she received a bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies. For the past 13 years, she has served in churches in California and Oregon as a pastor.
 
Asked about her vision for the STUNT program, Johnson replied, “I want to create a culture that is centered on encouragement and on a hard work ethic. I want to create a culture of pushing each other – where it is okay to fail because there is grace in that. I want to see a culture that is loving. We live in a culture that is harsh. I believe that working hard and being tough but having care and support is going to make good, healthy athletes. I also want it to be fun and exciting to try new things without fear. I want there to be excitement about every win – big wins and little wins.”
 
“From my perspective, we needed a leader for the program who has the vision for taking something from nothing,” noted Ruiz. “The idea of that was compelling to Ariana. Her vision gave us a lot of confidence that she can do this job well and help us build a program that can compete at the Division II level. We are excited about everything that she is going to bring to the table.”
 
“I hope to create a beautiful program that encourages student-athletes to be good people and to have a passion to be the best athlete they can be. I get to walk into the first STUNT program at Westmont. Finding the athletes we need to set a foundation is exciting. I hope that within the next couple of years our program is thriving because athletes want to be a part of our success. I want to see Westmont as one of the top schools for STUNT.”
 
Johnson has deep roots in the Santa Barbara community. Her grandmother was part of the Cota family that helped to found Santa Barbara.
 
“My dad (Pedro Menchaca) worked at Santa Barbara High for 30 years,” offered Johnson. “He devoted himself to what Santa Barbara High School is – being proud to be a Don. He helped kids who came from nothing to go to college or have a trade. My whole family is super involved in the Hispanic community here. We are all in athletics and music.”
 
Johnson noted that her father and his influence at the local high school helped motivate her to pursue coaching.
 
“I love the culture in Santa Barbara and I love what Westmont stands for,” said Johnson. “I hope to show a lot of my SBHS athletes that they can go to Westmont.”
 
“Ariana knows this community well,” said Ruiz. “She has deep roots in the community. As a head coach recruiting to this area, that is obviously a natural strength that she will bring to the table – her familiarity with the community, the place, the people. It was also helpful in the hiring process for us to see how many intersections she has with the college. When you are building something new, you want to have a solid foundation to start from. Her roots in the community give her the chance and the support to hit the ground running with the program.”
 
Asked what she wants recruits and their families to know about her, Johnson said, “I want to care for these students on and off the mat. I want them to see me not only as their STUNT coach, but also as someone they can come to. My heart is to love the ones that don’t feel loved and see the ones that don’t feel seen. As a coach, as a pastor, as a woman, that is my core value. I want to create a place for people to call home. I want this program to be that, as well as being known for some terrific student-athletes that are amazing to watch
 
Johnson lives in Santa Barbara with her husband Ryan and her two-year-old son Mateo.
 
Those interested in becoming part of Westmont’s STUNT team may contact Coach Johnson at arjohnson@westmont.edu and are encouraged to visit https://athletics.westmont.edu/recruits. The newly minted Westmont STUNT Instagram account can be seen by going to @WestmontStunt.