A group of 10 cheerleaders from UT Dallas placed third in the all-girl intermediate division of the National Cheerleader Association/National Dance Association championships recently in Daytona Beach, Fla.
It is only the second year the team has competed at the national level. It placed eighth last year.
The competition is the oldest, largest and most prestigious college cheerleading and dance contest in the United States. A team must receive a bid at a summer camp to qualify for the event.
“The fact that our team placed third is a huge step forward for the program,” said David Clark, the team’s coach. “In light of the fact that we were competing against teams that are traditional cheerleading powerhouses, I’m even more proud of our group.”
For the contest, each team is required to perform a two-minute all-music routine. The cheerleaders were scored on tumbling, stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps, motions/dance, showmanship, use of floor, choreography and collegiate image.
The top 10 teams in the division were:
- Georgia Southern University
- University of Georgia
- The University of Texas at Dallas
- North Carolina State University
- University of Florida
- Radford University (Va.)
- Morgan State University (Md.)
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Lindenwood University (Mo.)
- Ramapo College (N.J.)
Tryouts for the 2008-09 cheerleading squad will be April 27 at 12:30 p.m. in the auxiliary gym of the Activity Center. For more information, visit the cheerleading Web site or contact David Clark at david.clark@utdallas.edu.
Media contacts: Jenni Huffenberger, UT Dallas, jennib@utdallas.edu, 972-883-4431
or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu