Posted: Jan 23, 2018
WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State University's cheerleading team took home a third-place finish at the UCA/UDA Cheerleading and Dance National Championship event at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida over the semester break.
Westfield's all-girl team placed third in the Open division, which consisted of 12 teams from NCAA Division 3 institutions and community colleges.
The Owls qualified for the finals by placing fourth in the preliminary round, then improved their standing in the six-team finals.
"Our athletes worked really hard, the work they put in paid off, and it showed," said Westfield State coach Danielle Oldread. "It's a great feeling for both them and myself."
Oldread said the competition "was a wonderful experience. It's great to see the (Westfield State) program grow year by year."
Westfield State has competed in the national championship event on a regular basis, but the third place finish this year was the best for the Owls' All-Girl Team since they began competing in that category three years ago.
The Owls team consists of 30 student-athletes, and are captained by seniors Mika Lapre (New Bedford, Mass.) and Tori Perugini (Watertown, Conn.).
Teams are judged on their stunting technique and overall quality of their performance.
The national championship event brings together collegiate teams from around the country at the Division I, II, and III and community college levels, with competitions in nine different categories.
Westfield State's dance team also competed at the event, finishing in 11th in the "Open Dance" category.
"This was the pinnacle of our season," said Oldread. "We were able to showcase the skills we have been working on all year. Now we will look forward to cheering at the basketball games for the rest of the season."
