MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Ancilla College Cheerleading team had a successful trip to CheerLtd Canam College Nationals in Myrtle Beach, SC bringing home a third place team finish in the Medium Co-Ed Division, a runner-up individual co-ed stunt group finish, and a National Champion individual co-ed stunt group.
In a national’s competition against all four year programs, the Charger Cheer Team was able to hold their own, coming in third in the medium co-ed division. The team’s routine consisting of two minutes and fifteen seconds of choreographed stunting, jumping, pyramid building, tumbling, and dance as well as a fifteen second game-day section was a solid “Hit” according to Head Coach Kaylee Feece. “This was the best performance I have ever seen this team put out on the floor. A lot of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears went into making this performance as great as it was.”
The team finished with a score of 89.1 out of 100 and defeated fellow Indiana foe Trine University. “To be able to compete with teams that are from much larger institutions and have larger teams than us, is a great feeling and says a lot about the talent of these athletes,” remarked Feece. “The gap between first place and third place was six points. When it boiled down to it, they simply had more tumbling than us.” Placing for the Medium Co-Ed Division was Trine University in 4th place with a score of 88.55, Ancilla College with an 89.1, Wingate University with a 93.2, and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a 96.45.
Along with the team routine, Ancilla entered two individual co-ed stunt groups to compete for a national championship. These stunt groups went head to head against a total of five teams. The members of each group picked who they would stunt with and designed their own routines to compete. The Ancilla College Blue Team consisting of Justin Lewis (FR/Sturgis, MI), Allyson Norby (FR/Decatur, IN), Nyjah Brown-Watson (FR/Elkhart, IN), and Jayla Henderson (FR/Indianapolis, IN) had an outstanding performance and received the Runner-Up trophy. “This group worked so hard on their material, and really put out a great performance. I was proud of everything they accomplished.” commented Feece.
Taking home the National Championship for the individual co-ed competition was the Ancilla College Gold Team made up of Cheyenne Jacobs (FR/Elkhart, IN), Eddie Hardin (FR/Knox, IN), Triston Krueger (FR/Knox, IN), and Jacob Albon (FR/Knox, IN). “This group made it work when it counted. They put together a nice routine that was definitely fun to watch. It was great to bring home not one but two trophys in the co-ed stunt group competition. A National Runner-Up and a National Championship; it doesn’t get much better than that!” said Feece. Placing in the Individual Co-Ed Stunt competitions was Indian Hills Community College in 4th place with a score of 56.466, Wingate University Blue with a 58.1, Wingate University Gold with a 60.733, Ancilla Blue with a 64.5, and Ancilla Gold with a 68.066.
“Words cannot describe how proud I am of this team. It has been a season full of adversity, but each time, they bounced back stronger. They have fought for everything they have earned and truly had the performance of a lifetime out there on the floor. As a coach, I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” said Feece.
To wrap up the season, the Ancilla Cheer Team will travel to Grand Valley State University to compete at the Laker Cheer Classic on Sunday, March 27th.
