Cheerleading captured the Advanced Large Coed Division II title at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Team National Championships April 13 at the Bandshell and Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.   

Maneuvering a schedule that was delayed by weather earlier in the week, the Lions performed a deduction free routine in preliminaries to sit in first place with a score of 91.4. Despite a pyramid issue in the finals, their performance still earned a score of 89.7625, which was good enough to hoist the crown ahead of Columbus State University in second and McKendree in third. Lindenwood completed its season with another deduction free routine in the Grand Championship Finals.

In addition to advanced large coed, cheerleading had five other squads in competition. The Lions earned a second-place finish in Advanced Small Coed Division II. The team sat in second place after the preliminary round due to some mistakes, but came back in the finals with a beautiful routine. The raw score was good enough to win, but a pyramid issue led to a deduction and a final score of 91.0291, less than a point behind Davenport University in first and slightly ahead of Hawaii Pacific in third.

Lindenwood cheer also claimed second place in Small Coed Intermediate Division II. In a stacked field of 20 squads, the Lions sat in second after preliminaries and then performed an amazing routine in the finals. With razor thin margins in scoring, Lindenwood came up less than 0.15 short of claiming the title behind the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in first place. Saginaw Valley State finished 0.43 behind the Lions in third.

Lindenwood brought home third place in Intermediate All-Girl Division II. The Lions went deduction free in the preliminary round to sit in second, but a stunt came down in the finals leading to deductions and a score of 96.169, finishing behind Dallas Baptist in first and Oklahoma Baptist in second.

Competing for the first time in Spirit Rally Division II, Lindenwood claimed fourth place, finishing behind Tarleton State University in first, Texas A & M – Kingsville in second, and the University of Texas – Tyler in third with a finals score of 94.2375.

Head Coach Carrie Nichols reflected on the performance.

"We are beyond proud of what we were able to do in the debut year," she said. "Only four of the athletes out of 29 had ever competed in it before. We are proud of our Group Stunt squad too, taking seventh out of 17 with an incredible routine."

That group stunt squad earned a score of 87.1111 to finish behind the University of West Georgia, Morehead State, Western Kentucky, North Carolina State, Louisville, and Florida State.

Coach Nichols summed up the week of competition and the season.

"Overall, we are pleased with the results and the routines that we put on the floor. We are proud of the athletes and how hard they have worked, but like every season, it did not come without its challenges," she began. "We had four athletes that had major surgeries in the fall that worked hard in therapy to get back out there. We were plagued by the flu and injuries over the winter. Everyone has those issues, but they cannot become excuses. It never stopped us from training and continuing to work towards our goals. We found ways to keep moving because that is how you find success.

"This is our 14^th title for the university and although winning is our goal, we also believe there is so much to learn from the journey. The memories and opportunities these athletes have had is something they will cherish their entire life."

The Lindenwood University cheer team was comprised of about 140 members that were split into five competition teams this season. This year marks the 21^nd consecutive year (no competition in 2020 due to COVID) that the Lions have attended the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Team Championships and the ninth straight year they claimed at least one national title. Lindenwood won the Intermediate Small Coed and Advanced Large Coed Division II crowns in 2023, 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.

 

	Advanced Large Coed Division II
1	Lindenwood University	89.7625
2	Columbus State University	83.7958
3	McKendree University	83.175
	Advanced Small Coed Division II
1	Davenport University	91.8125
2	Lindenwood University	91.0291
3	Hawaii Pacific University	91.0083
	Intermediate Small Coed Division II
1	University of Arkansas - Fort Smith	95.1042
2	Lindenwood University	94.956
3	Saginaw Valley State University	94.5208
4	Slippery Rock University	93.1551
	Intermediate All-Girl Division II
1	Dallas Baptist University	97.2523
2	Oklahoma Baptist University	96.7407
3	Lindenwood University	96.169
4	Slippery Rock University	95.3264
	Spirit Rally Division II
1	Tarleton State University	97.8125
2	Texas A & M - Kingsville	96.275
3	University of Texas - Tyler	95.075
4	Lindenwood University	94.2375
5	University of West Alabama	89.875
6	Saginaw Valley State University	87.975
	Group Stunt
1	University of West Georgia	96.6667
2	Morehead State University	94.7556
3	Western Kentucky University	93.5556
4	North Carolina State University	91.9111
5	University of Louisville	88.8
6	Florida State University	87.2444
7	Lindenwood University	87.1111
8	University of Mississippi	86.9778
9	University of South Florida	85.2889
10	Davenport University	84.6222