Competitive Cheerleading 3/8/2017 2:36:00 PM

Landmark NAIA cheerleading, dance championships come to OCU

NAIA holds first championships since sponsoring competitive cheerleading, dance as sports

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University hosts the first NAIA competitive cheerleading and dance championships since the NAIA became the first intercollegiate athletic association to sponsor the sports as championship endeavors.
The NAIA Championships start with the cheerleading preliminaries 4:30 p.m. Friday at Abe Lemons Arena. The dance preliminaries happen 6:45 p.m. Friday.
The event culminates with the cheerleading finals 10 a.m. Saturday, then the dance finals 12:15 p.m. Saturday. The championship teams will be recognized 2:25 p.m. Saturday. Prior to the championships, representatives from the teams will be spending time with local children at John Rex Elementary, 500 W. Sheridan Avenue in Oklahoma City, spreading the NAIA's Champions of Character message as a community outreach 2 p.m. Thursday.
Watch the championships via live video stream. Andrew Himes and Allison Gappa will call the action.
The Stars have fielded competitive cheerleading and dance as sports since 2008-09. OCU has won two NAIA cheerleading championships and the 2014 NAIA dance crown along with 13 NCA/NDA titles.
"It's a huge step for us," Oklahoma City coach Alicia Bailey said about the NAIA recognizing cheerleading and dance as championship sports. "Cheerleaders grow up with the stigma of what you do isn't considered a sport. 'You guys aren't real athletes.' At OCU, we've always been privileged to be treated like a sport. Our athletic director and our university have always given us that respect. For our sport in general and as a whole, it's a huge step for us. We're excited to show the world that what we do truly is a sport. It's very, very athletic. We put the same time and effort into it like everyone else."
Twelve teams in each sport will compete for titles. During each performance, judges will grade the team's routine in 10 categories. The preliminary scores will count 25 percent towards the final standings, while the finals scores will count 75 percent.
Prior to national championships status, cheerleading and dance showed signs of success at the National Invitational level for a two-year period. In the 2016 NAIA Competitive Cheer and Dance National Invitational, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) won the cheer title with a two-day overall score of 94.44, followed by Oklahoma City with a score of 92.8. St. Ambrose (Iowa) won the dance title with a two-day overall score of 112.56. The event was hosted by St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa.
"Adding competitive cheer and dance as an NAIA championship sport has been an extremely exciting thing," said Lynsey Payne, Baker (Kan.) head coach and CCD executive committee member. "Many schools are receiving more funding and better scholarships, and student-athletes can now be recognized for their achievements both on and off the competition floor and mat. It has been exciting to be a part of this too, the coaches and staff at the NAIA literally wrote the rulebook; no one else is doing anything like what we are. Having an NAIA national championship with a qualification system adds a higher level of competition than you might get at some other events we have attended in the past."
This season, OCU took four cheerleading events, including the NAIA Southwest Qualifying Group Championships on Feb. 25 in Shawnee, Okla. The Stars' dance team won four competitions, including the NAIA qualifier.
"Hopefully it's prepared us more this year than ever before," Bailey said. "We traveled a lot more and saw some bigger competitions than we usually do. With that, with some of the teams we've seen, we were able to change our routine up and prepare more for what we need to do in the future."

OCU leads NAIA with eight all-Americans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma City led all institutions with eight NAIA cheerleading and dance all-Americans.
The Stars' Shelbi Crawford, Alyson Gerde, Taylor Glaspie-Walton, Haley Hill, Maggie Hirsekorn and Broderick McQuarters earned cheerleading all-American honors, while OCU's MaKenzi Fox and Lauren Kysela snagged dance all-American nods.
Student-athletes performed the all-American routines at the NAIA Qualifying Group Championships on Feb. 25. The cheer all-American tryout routine challenged athletes to complete a standing back tuck, a toe touch, a tumbling pass with a minimum round off handspring full and a stunt requirement of a group – coed and a two-person stunt.
The dance all-American tryouts consisted of athletes performing three leaps (two advanced), a turn combination, a triple pirouette and an audition combination routine.

2017 NAIA Competitive Cheerleading & Dance All-Americans
Competitive Cheer
All-Americans
Ryan Baker, Concordia (Mich.)
Kaitlyn Coffee, Saint Francis (Ind.)
Shelbi Crawford, Oklahoma City
Kim Dade, Concordia (Mich.)
Carrie Ferguson, Saint Francis (Ind.)
Alyson Gerde, Oklahoma City
Taylor Glaspie-Walton, Oklahoma City
Quinisa Grant, Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.)
Haley Hill, Oklahoma City
Maggie Hirsekorn, Oklahoma City
Jessie Horton, Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
Kayla Inlay, Morningside (Iowa)
Yuta Kajisa, Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
Melanie Kiser, Morningside (Iowa)
Keye Matthews, Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
Broderick McQuarters, Oklahoma City
Noelle Miller, Lourdes (Mich.)
Kortney Ouellette, Siena Heights (Mich.)
Jessica Richmond, Davenport (Mich.)
Benjamin Sonnenberg, Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.)
Brian Trahin, Saint Francis (Ind.)

HONORABLE MENTION
Alyssa Papan, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Emily Studt, St. Ambrose (Iowa)

Competitive Dance
All-Americans
Ali Alderman, Aquinas (Mich.)
Kassidy Boldt, Aquinas (Mich.)
Logan Deahn, Midland (Neb.)
MaKenzi Fox, Oklahoma City
Allie Howland, Baker (Kan.)
Emily Kirsch, Point Park (Pa.)
McKenzie Kula, Baker (Kan.)
Lauren Kysela, Oklahoma City
Rachael Lehr, Midland (Neb.)
Alyssa Monson, Baker (Kan.)
Deven Muhammad, Midland (Neb.)
Jessica Pottridge, Grand View (Iowa)
Alison Prather, Baker (Kan.)
Marissa Signor, Grand View (Iowa)

HONORABLE MENTION
Hailey Broer, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Brittany Carlson, Grand View (Iowa); Katherine Dempsey, Central Methodist (Mo.); Lucy Dinsmore, Aquinas (Mich.); Mariah Fulton, Aquinas (Mich.); Kaci Greenleaf, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Deanna Harris, Point Park (Pa.); Ty Hecker, Midland (Neb.); Kayla Inlay, Morningside (Iowa); Darian Leighty, Point Park (Pa.); Savanna Nault, Central Methodist (Mo.); Samantha O'Malley, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Tessa Perdergast, Hastings (Neb.); Anna Pranckus, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Mikenah Rieken, Midland (Neb.); Miranda Shipley, Morningside (Iowa); Kelsey Walker, Grand View (Iowa); Devon Wetteland, Hastings (Neb.); Jenna Winkler, Morningside (Iowa)

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Shelbi Crawford: 5' 0"; Senior

Haley Hill: 5' 0"; Senior

Alyson Gerde: 5' 6"; Senior

Taylor Glaspie-Walton: 5' 8"; Senior

Broderick McQuarters: 6' 2"; Junior

Maggie Hirsekorn: 5' 0"; Senior

MaKenzi Fox: 5' 3"; Senior

Lauren Kysela: 5' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Shelbi Crawford
: 5' 0"; Senior

Haley Hill
: 5' 0"; Senior

Alyson Gerde
: 5' 6"; Senior

Taylor Glaspie-Walton
: 5' 8"; Senior

Broderick McQuarters
: 6' 2"; Junior

Maggie Hirsekorn
: 5' 0"; Senior

MaKenzi Fox
: 5' 3"; Senior

Lauren Kysela
: 5' 4"; Senior