Antonio “Toni” Snyder enters his first season as the Director of Spirit Programs at McPherson College. In this role, he oversees the gameday and competitive cheerleading teams, mascot team, and the development of future dance and STUNT programs.
The McPherson College Cheer Team is coming off a second-place finish at the NCA College Nationals in the Spirit Rally Division, where they also earned the NCA/NDA “Go Be Great Award” for their dedication to community service and servant leadership.
Coaching Highlights
Prior to joining McPherson College, Snyder served as the Director of Owl Spirit at William Woods University (Fulton, MO) from 2023–2025. While at WWU, he launched the university’s first-ever competitive cheer program in 2024 and competitive dance program in 2025. In just two seasons, Snyder coached WWU’s first four NAIA Cheer All-Americans and three AMC All-Conference athletes.
Under his leadership, Owls Cheerleading placed third at the AMC Cheerleading Conference Championship in both 2024 and 2025, finishing second and first among full AMC member institutions, respectively. Snyder led three WWU teams to bids at the NCA/NDA College Nationals, where they achieved top-10 finishes of 4th, 5th, and 9th in their respective divisions.
Academically, his teams produced three NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes and eighteen All-AMC Scholar-Athletes over two seasons. In 2024, WWU athletes received AMC Player of the Week honors during every eligible competition week. Snyder was named AMC/SAC Coach of the Year that same season.
During his time at Kansas Wesleyan University, Snyder coached six NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes and seven All-KCAC Scholar-Athletes. The Coyote Cheer Team earned five All-KCAC Athlete honors and recorded the program’s highest competition score of 78.10 under his leadership.
Competition Background
Snyder was a member of McPherson College’s first cheerleading team to return to varsity status in 2017. As a Bulldog, he earned All-KCAC honors in 2019 and was a two-time KCAC Scholar-Athlete in 2020 and 2021. During his senior season he was nominated for the McPherson College Athlete of the Year Award.
Snyder also competed at multiple UCA College Camps. In 2019, he attended the UCA College Camp in St. Louis, MO, where the team placed third in their division and earned the Most Collegiate award. In 2018, the team competed at the UCA College Camp at Chula Vista, earning bronze in all three of their divisions. These successes came while competing against institutions of varying sizes and athletic divisions.
Coaching History
2025 | Director of Spirit Programs, McPherson College
2023 - 2025 | Director of Owl Spirit, William Woods University
2021 - 2023 | Head Cheerleading Coach, Kansas Wesleyan University
Quick Facts
Hometown: Newton, KS
Education: William Woods University '25
M.Ed., Athletic Administration
McPherson College '21
B.S. - Psychology
B.S. - Sociology
