Crying Utah State Cheerleader Jokes About Going Viral During March Madness: 'Now I'm a Meme'

Mar. 16, 2025

Photo: TNT

Ashlyn Whimpey

The Utah State cheerleader whose reaction went viral after her school was eliminated from the2023 NCAA Men’s Tournamenthas spoken out about her online fame.

Her relatable reaction was turned into a viral meme among March Madness fans, who later criticized the network for focusing on Whimpey’s disappointment.

OneTwitter user wrote, “Felt bad when the camera kept showing her, probably her last game as a cheerleader.” Anothersaid, “Actually think it’s awesome she cares that much…not sure why it needs to be mocked on social media.”

Whimpey later took to social media to poke fun at her viral moment.

“That one time when I was sad to cheer at my last game,” she wrote in the caption of a TikTok post explaining the moment. “And now I’m a meme,” she added.

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The Aggies cheerleader, who is reportedly dating Utah State player Sean Bairstow according toThe Sun,returned to the app the following day, where she told followers the attention from her viral moment was distracting her from school.

“Hey guys…coming on here to tell you I have had a really hard time focusing on my midterms due to TNT thinking the crying cheerleader was better footage than the basketball game,” Whimpey wrote in the video, which she called “a quick PSA” in the post’s caption.

Whimpey reposted Bairstow’s story and wrote, “The best season cheering for my boy! So proud of you @seanbairstow2,” per the outlet.

“Forever proud to be an Aggie cheerleader,” Whimpey ended the post.

source: people.com