Instant Replay: Crying USU Cheerleader Goes Viral During NCAA Tournament
Mar 17, 2023, 1:43 PM | Updated: Mar 20, 2023, 9:40 am
A detailed view of a basketball is seen on the ground prior to the first round game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 16, 2023 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah State cheerleader Ashlyn Whimpey went viral on social media after showing some emotions on the sideline during the 2023 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
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Whimpey was cheering on the Aggies’ men’s basketball team during their first round tourney matchup with the No. 7-seeded Missouri Tigers on Thursday, March 16.
No. 10 seed USU fell to Missouri, 76-65.
Late in the contest, the Aggies were down double-digits and Whimpey was shown on television. The cheerleader was crying as the seconds ticked down to the end of Utah State‘s basketball season and her time as an Aggie cheerleader.
Immediately after her appearance on TV, Whimpey’s reaction went viral on social media.
The crying Utah State cheerleader is about to join the NCAA Tourney meme ranks with Villanova flute girl and Northwestern kid.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 16, 2023
The Utah State cheerleader compiled some of those social media posts on her Tik Tok and Instagram accounts.
“and now i’m a meme,” Whimpey captioned her TikTok post.
@ashwhimp and now i’m a meme 💀🫡 #usucheerleader #marchmadness #cryingcheerleader #aggies #fyp ♬ World’s Smallest Violin – AJR
Whimpey is now a part of the tournament’s most viral moments in recent history but was a good sport about the situation.
Remember the Northwestern crying kid? This is him now.
Feel old yet?
John Phillips (aka Northwestern kid) is now a freshman in college. His father, Jim Phillips, is the ACC commissioner and former Northwestern AD. pic.twitter.com/nT5iOj9zVZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 15, 2023
💧💧WE ARE ALL CRYING VILLANOVA FLUTE PLAYER💧💧. http://t.co/7MkrEM9wLk pic.twitter.com/qzVckucLBI
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 22, 2015
The Aggies suffered the 11-point loss thanks in part to a tough shooting performance from three-point range. Utah State shot 47.5 percent overall. However, the Aggies were only 4-24 or 16.7 percent on three-pointers. Missouri finished the afternoon shooting 50.9 percent, including 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Utah State had three fewer assists, four fewer steals, and committed five more turnovers than Missouri.
This Utah State cheerleader was going through it 😅 pic.twitter.com/Rqhpz3zBaZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 16, 2023
Four Aggies hit double figures in scoring. Taylor Funk led Utah State with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Missouri had four players, all starters, score at least 10 points. D’Moi Hodge led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points.
With the loss, the Aggies’ season came to an end. Utah State finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 26-9 record, including 13-5 in Mountain West Conference regular season games.
