Trea King took over the reigns of the spirit program (cheer, dance, and mascot) ahead of the 2021-22 season, after serving as the assistant coach for the previous two years.

In her first year, King's team earned the right to compete at three national championships. The Pioneers placed second in the East region at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Virtual Spirit Rally Competition, collecting a bronze bid in the cheer division to attend nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida. Tusculum beat out a pair of Division I teams, including the University of Florida. Tusculum was named a finalist in the College Classics Team Spirit Competition. Both the Spirit Squad and Zeke advanced to the final round of their respective categories. At the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) College Nationals, TU was a finalist in the gameday division, finishing in the top-10. In the classroom, 10 members of the program were named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

King has over a decade of coaching experience, alongside her vast array of performances. She was a two-year captain of the nationally-ranked Jefferson County High School dance team. She was selected as a Universal Dance Association (UDA) All-Star and invited to perform in the Macy’s London Christmas Parade. As a UDA staff professional, King worked summer camps for high school dance teams.

She has been involved in Zumba®. King has organized, managed, and participated in several Zumbathon® fundraisers. King created original routines and was selected as a Zumba® Jammer for the Southeast. As a Zumba® instructor and Zumba® Jammer at the Summerville Family YMCA (2009-18), she taught choreography to local and out-of-state instructors, along with organizing, promoting, and implementing fundraising events. King also participated in the yearly committee for the Party in Pink fundraiser, a Zumbathon® charity event.

King was a competition gymnastics team coach and choreographer for award-winning gymnast levels 3-10 at her local YMCA for four years. She choreographed and cleaned routines for beam and floor exercises, created conditioning routines to target muscle groups, and developed original aerobic classes to boost gym membership.

A 1998 graduate of East Tennessee State University, King earned a degree in applied human science technology with a concentration in interior design. She was also a two-year member of the ETSU Dance Team.

She is married to Derek King and they have three children: Grace, Beau, and Cody.