The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Cheerleaders Third at National Championships
1/18/2017 | Athletics
ORLANDO, Fla. â€" While Ole Miss students enjoyed a long break after the fall semester, the Ole Miss spirit groups were busy preparing for the Universal Cheerleaders/Dance Association College National Championships, which took place this past weekend in Orlando, Florida. The cheerleaders came home with some trophies.
The Rebel cheerleaders finished third in the IA Coed Division, competing against the top programs in the country. The same group also won the World University Championship, competing against not only teams from the United States, but international teams from Puerto Rico and Chile.
For the first time ever, the Rebels competed in the All Girl Competition and finished second in the World University Championships and 11th in the IA Division.
Individually, junior Brandi Berry and senior Brandon Casey competed in the partner stunt competition, bringing home seventh place.
"As a program we have been working hard over the past few years to break into the top 3 in the Division IA competition and have fallen short," cheer coach Arrika Harakal said. "For our team to be recognized as a top 3 contender is amazing. All girl left a strong impression in their division by making it to finals as a first-year competitor. We are over the moon on how well our teams finished this weekend."
The three-day competition took place at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. Teams from across the country participated in the prestigious event at HP Fieldhouse. Cheerleaders were judged based on stunting, tumbling skills, crowd-leading abilities and overall performance.
For more information on the cheerleaders, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissCheer on Facebook at OleMissCheer and on Instagram at OleMissCheer.
