Performing in front of a packed house Sunday at the Georgia World Congress Center, the Dalton State Competition Cheer squad finished fifth in Category 6 - “College Cooed Division” of the Cheersport National Championships.
The University of Kentucky White Squad won the division with Georgia Tech finishing runner-up. The Roadrunners were just edged by the University of Alabama-Huntsville.
The Roadrunner team, comprised of twelve athletes was the only first year intercollegiate team to compete in the Championships.
“This team has put in a lot of long hours and has a tireless work ethic,” said Coach Robyn Newell.
“I could not ask for a better group of student-athletes.”
“Our performance here will help inspire us to even greater heights as we move forward,” Newell added. “We went up against great competition and certainly held our own. We are all proud to be Roadrunners. No one could believe we were a first year program.”
“This experience was a great adrenaline rush for the whole team,” said Coach Austin Culp. “We gained a lot of perspective and it will motivate us to work even harder until we hold the top spot.”
It was the first cheer competition that Dalton State athletic director Derek Waugh had ever attended.
“The atmosphere was amazing at the event,” said Waugh. “Our coaches and athletes have worked harder than anyone knows and I was extremely proud of them,” he added. “Dalton State took the stage right after the University of Kentucky, and that is the company we want to keep.”
The squad will perform the same competitive routine that they executed, during Nationals, at halftime of the final basketball home game of the year on Tuesday, February 25 at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center.