ORLANDO, Fla. – The Illinois State cheerleading team competed against the best co-ed teams in the country over the past few days and more than held its own, as the Redbirds advanced to finals and placed eighth overall in their division at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Game Day National Championship held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
"I am proud of our athletes for their hard work and long hours they put in to fundraising, practicing, and perfecting this routine," head coach Lauren Morris said. "The passion and love that they have for our University showed through in our performances this weekend. Our results and experiences in Orlando are something that all Redbird fans should be proud of. We hope the positive results in our first Game Day Nationals experience can lay the ground work for our team to become known as a perennial Game Day powerhouse."
This was the first appearance for Illinois State in the co-ed division since 2002 at UCA Nationals, and the Redbirds competed against other FCS, NCAA Division II and junior college teams in their division. ISU improved its score from its semifinal performance earlier Friday to place eighth overall in the final round Friday evening.Â
"This was a dream in the making and after taking a hiatus from attending UCA Nationals, being able to compete and place top 10 in the nation was so surreal," senior Jackie Buhay-Castro stated. "This team has worked extremely hard to create and mold a Game Day routine that left us giving our all on the mat and I couldn't have asked for a better team to experience this with."Â
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