Copyright 2016; Wilmington University. All rights reserved.
ORLANDO, Fla. - - The Wilmington University cheerleading team filled out a full hand with rings on Saturday, winning their fifth straight Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Small Coed Division II National Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Wide World of Sports Complex in the Walt Disney World Resort.
The Wildcats earned their fifth straight, and fifth overall UCA National Championship by defeating eight other competitors on Saturday afternoon. The closest competitors were Grand Canyon University and Cameron University, finishing second and third overall, respectively.
With the win, the Wildcats will now come back to perform their routine later this weekend in front of ESPN. The competition will be aired on the ESPN networks a handful of times nationally at a later date.
The team also had a pair of stunt groups perform on Friday night, with the Partner Stunt Girls "4" quad of Corinne Carney, Alyssa Haines, Alyssa Kalafut, and Dominique Tee placing a program best tied for fourth overall. The quad team beat the likes of a pair of teams from the University of Delaware, Liberty University, and Purdue University.
The partner stunt group of Kristen Basquill and Ryan Hertz placed fifth overall in the Coed Championship on Friday night. They were ranked third overall coming into the competition following the pretournament evaluations.
The Wildcats aren't finished in Orlando however, as they will compete in the World University Cheerleading Championship on Sunday for the first time in program history. The Wildcats will compete against international teams as well as the UCA Small Coed Division I National Champions from Hofstra University in the Premier Small Coed group.
AGATE:
2016 UCA Division II Small Coed:
1. Wilmington University
2. Grand Canyon University
3. Cameron University
4. Colorado Mesa University
5. Midwestern State University
6. University of Texas Dallas
7. Spring Hill College
8. Lee University
9. Missouri Valley College
Partner Stunt Coed Championship Top 5:
1. Morehead State University
2 Trinity Valley Community College
3. Pittsburg State Universiyt
4. University of West Georgia
5. Wilmington University
Partner Stunt Girls "4" Championship Top 10:
1. North Carolina State University
2. Liberty University
3. Blinn College
T4. Stephen F. Austin State University
T4. Wilmington University
6. University of Delaware
7. Liberty University
8. University of New York Stony Brook
9. University of Delaware
10. Purdue University