On Wednesday, April 9, the UT Dallas cheerleaders traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida, to participate in the National Cheerleaders Association College Cheer and Dance National Championships. This event is the oldest, largest and most prestigious college cheerleading and dance competition held in the United States. UT Dallas placed third in the All-Girl Intermediate division. This is only the second year the team has competed on a national level; they placed eighth last year. Here are the top 10 teams (in order of ranking) in the division:
- Georgia Southern University
- University of Georgia
- The University of Texas at Dallas
- North Carolina State University
- University of Florida
- Radford University
- Morgan State University
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Lindenwood University
- Ramapo College (NJ)
 Each team performs a 2:15 minute, all-music routine where they are scored on tumbling, stunting, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps, motions/dance, showmanship, use of floor, choreography and collegiate image. In order to qualify for nationals, they must receive a bid at summer camp. UT Dallas received their invite/bid when they attended summer camp at SMU back in July. The fact that UT Dallas placed third is a huge step forward for the program. The team was competing against teams that are traditional cheerleading powers. Of the top ten teams, UT Dallas was the smallest with only 10 members. It certainly proves the point that you don't have to have large in numbers to be successful.
For more information, visit the UT Dallas Cheer website or contact David Clark at david.clark@utdallas.edu.
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