Cheerleading captured the Division II Intermediate Small Coed title and the Division II Advanced Large Coed title at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Team Championships April 8 at the Bandshell and Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Lions also took third in the Intermediate All-Girl Division II competition, finished fourth in Advanced Small Coed Division II, and took fifth in Group Stunt. At the end of the week, Lindenwood competed in the Large Coed Grand Championship and finished third.
The busy week of competition began with preliminaries in Intermediate Small Coed. In a field of 18 squads, the Lions posted the top score at 24.1482 to sit in first place ahead of second place Arkansas – Fort Smith by 0.0649 points and 0.8009 points ahead of Grand Valley State in third. Lindenwood performed a near flawless routine in the finals and was one of only two teams with no deductions. With a final event score of 96.9815, the Lions finished over two points ahead Arkansas – Fort Smith (94.8542) and almost three in front of Grand Valley State (94.1806) in third to hoist the national championship trophy.
It was a similar theme in the Advanced Large Coed competition as Lindenwood led wire to wire, leading preliminaries with a score of 22.5301 compared to second place Columbus State University with 20.9884. The Lions again nailed a deduction free performance to earn a finals event score of 93.7524 and win their second title of the week. Columbus State finished second with 87.8704.
Lindenwood was solid during the Intermediate All-Girl prelims, posting a score of 24.2361 to sit in third place in a field of 17 squads behind Davenport University (24.3171) in second and Dallas Baptist University (24.4908) in first. The Lions brought their A-game to the finals, but some deductions dashed any hopes of climbing up the standings. Lindenwood finished third with 97.0625 behind the Panthers (97.8449) in second and eventual champion Dallas Baptist (98.3519).
The Lions looked poised to hoist a third championship trophy after prelims in Advance Small Coed. Lindenwood easily led the field with a score of 23.5324 ahead of McKendree (22.8912) in second, Hawaii Pacific (22.7107) in third, and Shorter University (22.4931) in fourth, but disaster struck in the finals with multiple deductions that knocked the Lions all the way down to fourth with an event score of 91.2184. Hawaii Pacific (92.7037) claimed the national title, Limestone University (91.9306) leaped all the way from fifth to second, and Shorter University (91.3125) rounded out the top three.
The Lions entered a four-person squad in the Group Stunt competition and finished fifth with a score of 91, edging out California Baptist in sixth. Western Kentucky (94.9444) won the event, followed by the University of Louisville (93.7222) in second, Weber State (93.6111) in third, and the Kennesaw State Athletic Association (93.1111) in fourth.
In the final event of the week, Lindenwood competed its winning squad in the Large Coed Grand Championship and finished third with an overall score of 93.6296. Weber State won with a mark of 98.0833 with Navarro College taking second with 97.3704.
The two national championships become the 12
th and 13
th in program history for cheerleading. The Lions won the Small Coed Open and Intermediate Small Coed Open titles in 2021, won Large Coed division crowns in 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2015, and captured the Small Coed Division II championship in 2022 and 2018, the Small Coed Division II in 2016, and Small Coed in 2011.
|
Intermediate Small Coed Division II |
Event Score |
|
(Top Nine of 18 Teams in the Finals) |
|
| 1 |
Lindenwood University |
96.9815 |
| 2 |
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith |
94.8542 |
| 3 |
Grand Valley State University |
94.1806 |
| 4 |
Saginaw Valley State University |
93.0602 |
| 5 |
University of Arkansas - Monticello |
91.9005 |
| 6 |
Texas A & M International University |
91.8472 |
| 7 |
Spring Hill College |
91.8241 |
| 8 |
Southern Arkansas University |
91.7593 |
| 9 |
Valdosta State University |
91.6389 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advanced Large Coed Division II |
Event Score |
| 1 |
Lindenwood University |
93.7524 |
| 2 |
Columbus State University |
87.8704 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intermediate All Girl Division II |
|
|
(Top Eight of 17 Final Teams) |
|
| 1 |
Dallas Baptist University |
98.3519 |
| 2 |
Davenport University |
97.8449 |
| 3 |
Lindenwood University |
97.0625 |
| 4 |
Grand Valley State University |
96.743 |
| 5 |
Slippery Rock University |
94.6805 |
| 6 |
Oklahoma Baptist University |
94.3773 |
| 7 |
Merrimack College |
93.926 |
| 8 |
Lubbock Christian University |
93.9051 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advanced Small Coed Division II |
|
| 1 |
Hawaii Pacific University |
92.7037 |
| 2 |
Limestone University |
91.9306 |
| 3 |
Shorter University |
91.3125 |
| 4 |
Lindenwood University |
91.2824 |
| 5 |
McKendree University |
90.3356 |
| 6 |
Grand Valley State University |
90.213 |
| 7 |
L'Universite du Quebec a Montreal |
88.4444 |
| 8 |
Gannon University |
86.9815 |
| 9 |
Mars Hill University |
80.2987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group Stunt |
|
| 1 |
Western Kentucky University |
94.9444 |
| 2 |
University of Louisville |
93.7222 |
| 3 |
Weber State University |
93.6111 |
| 4 |
Kennesaw State Athletic Association |
93.1111 |
| 5 |
Lindenwood University |
91 |
| 6 |
California Baptist University |
90.7222 |
| 7 |
Kennesaw State Athletic Association |
90.6667 |
| 8 |
University of Louisville |
90.3333 |
| 9 |
Brigham Young University |
89.3333 |
| 10 |
Davenport University |
84.4444 |
| 11 |
University of Louisville |
73.25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Large Coed Grand Champion |
|
| 1 |
Weber State University |
98.0833 |
| 2 |
Navarro College |
97.3704 |
| 3 |
Lindenwood University |
93.6296 |
| 4 |
Westcliff University |
93.3056 |
