The Wildcat competitive cheerleading team traveled to Topeka, Kansas, for the NAIA National Championships that took place on March 27 and 28.
The team came back with a second-place finish, their highest in program history.
In the preliminary round of the championships, IWU sat in third place with a score of 91.88, their fifth-highest score in program history. On day two, they got their third-highest score in program history with a 93.0. They averaged a final score of 92.72 against the other 14 competitive cheer teams.
Head coach Lindsay Reep, explained that the Wildcats lost several seniors last year. Even with that challenge, the team pushed through and had a successful season.
“The thing that I loved about it most is we were just competing in pure joy,” senior base/tumbler Elli Vander Veen said. “So many other teams came up to us and said that they could just tell something was different with our team.”
The Wildcats set the tone for the season early with a first-place finish in their opening competition at Spring Arbor University.
“They performed probably one of the best first opening competitions that Indiana Wesleyan has had for a long time,” Reep said.
Although they faced challenges with routine deductions at their competition in Missouri, Reep described how the setback was the perfect opportunity for the team to hit their stride at the right time at nationals.
“They hit well on day one and then they did even better on day two,” Reep said. “Peaking at that right moment, hitting a flawless zero deduction routine was all that we could do.”
The Wildcat competitive cheer team places a heavy influence of faith in this sport.
“I think we do a really good job of putting God at the center of our team and it’s easier to face those challenges with Him on our side,” junior base/tumbler Haevyn Cullen said.
Overall, the Wildcats finished their season strong, and their hard work landed them in second place at the NAIA National Championships.
Picture courtesy: IWU Athletics
