Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Cheer Uses Program Record to Finish as National Runner-Up
4/10/2022 12:59:00 PM | Cheer
The team competed at the NCA & NDA Collegiate National Championship, April 6-10
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University cheer team once again impressed on the national stage, placing second at the 2022 NCA & NDA Collegiate National Championship, which was held April 6 through today, April 10, at the Bandshell and Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
How it Happened
The Green and White turned in a program-record score of 97.0278 to finish as the national runner ups, just behind Florida International University. The Eagles participated as one of 13 teams in the Intermediate Small Coed IA division, and were one of just two teams to record a score of 97 or better.
In addition to setting a new program record for overall scoring, the event marked EMU's first in which it performed two, zero-deduction routines, in both the preliminary and final routines. Highlights included near-perfect execution scores of 4.9 in standing tumbling, running tumbling, and jumps.
The effort is even more impressive given that the team faced technical difficulty during its final routine. Despite an error that stopped the team's music selection mid-performance, the group was able to rally, with the help of coaches and fans in attendance, to finish strong, without missing a beat.
"This is by far the most dedicated, hard working team I have coached," offered Head Coach Mary Spilski. "They are a dream. In a moment where disappointment with second place might seem normal, I feel nothing but pride. This team absolutely killed it."
Up Next
With the national competition complete, Coach Spilski and the team will now turn its attention on the 2022-23 season. A selection process for new members will begin this spring and summer, before the team returns to action for the upcoming fall season.
