LANGSTON, Okla. – Oklahoma City University came up with a third-place finish in the NAIA Southwest Qualifying Group Competitive Cheerleading Championships on Saturday at the C. Felton Gayles Gymnasium. 

The Stars posted an overall score of 88.13. St. Ambrose (Iowa) finished with the top score of the qualifier with a 95.56. 

"This team has faced more adversity in the last two weeks than most teams face in a year," OCU coach Alicia Bailey said. "I'm incredibly proud of how well they are coming together as a team and overcoming all the obstacles." 

Oklahoma City tallied a 90.05 final-round score after a preliminary score of 82.36.  

"We had some big mistakes in the preliminary round," Bailey said. "They responded very well with a great finals performance. I asked some athletes to step up today and perform some new skills for the first time, and they did great putting them in front of a crowd." 

OCU's season average score of 89.11 ranks fourth in the NAIA for 2022-23. The Stars had taken their national qualifier the last six years. 

"I am anxiously awaiting Monday and hopeful that we will receive an at-large bid to nationals," Bailey said. "I would love to see this team keep growing and getting better for a couple of more weeks." 

The NAIA Championships will be contested March 10-11 in Ypsilanti, Mich.