At the start of her junior year at Merrimack College, Taylor Sawyer ’23 made a decision that would ultimately lead her to being on the field at the 2026 Super Bowl on Feb. 8.
After playing volleyball for the Warriors for two years, Sawyer could no longer ignore the inner voice telling her to return to dance, a lifelong passion.
“I grew up dancing and this part of me just missed performing and being on stage, so I tried out for the Merrimack College Dance Team,” said Sawyer, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication and media. “My first time going to Daytona Beach (for the NCA & NDA College National Championships) with the team was so special. After that trip, I really felt like I was where I was meant to be and doing what I was meant to do.”
Because she had spent some time away from dance focusing on volleyball, Sawyer said she basically had to reteach herself to dance for the college level, from turns to choreography.
Her time performing at football games at Duane Stadium and competing at the NCA & NDA College National Championships wasn’t the end of her dancing career, as just over one year after graduation, she made the New England Patriots Cheerleading Team.
“I had never really done anything big like that and figured I’d give it a try,” Sawyer said of trying out for the Patriots, which included a video submission, in-person audition and two-week bootcamp. “It is so cool and such a dream, honestly.”
As a member of the cheerleading team, Sawyer not only performs during the Patriots’ games and halftimes, but also at promotional events. She was part of a group that traveled to Denver for the AFC Championship and attended a Patriots fan event there.
The Patriots’ seasons during Sawyer’s two years on the team could not have been more different. In the 2024-25 season, the Patriots won just four games. This year, she and her teammates are heading to Santa Clara to cheer on New England in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.
“Gillette Stadium was so electric this season,” Sawyer said. “The fans are just so amazing and everyone is so excited.”
Once in California, the cheerleading team will take part in promotional events leading up to the game on Sunday. Sawyer said the team is also prepping a new routine for the Super Bowl.
