Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclone Spirit Squads Shine At NDA, NCA Nationals
04.14.2021 | Cheerleading OLD, Spirit Squad
AMES, Iowa – This past weekend, the Iowa State spirit squad competed at the 2021 NCA and NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Cyclones were well represented as the cheer and dance teams combined for five top-five finishes across the board.
The cheer squad brought home third place in the Advanced All Girl 1A Division and finished fifth in the Intermediate Large Coed Division IA finals.
"As a team, we really had come together on a level that we've never had to do before in order to get to this competition," head cheerleading coach Kelli Baker said. "Being back in Daytona Beach for NCA College Nationals was something that meant so much to our team after a hard year working through the pandemic, so having some of our best performances and placing 5th and 3rd is just an added bonus to finish out an unusual year. I am very proud of how hard this team worked to get there."
The dance team also had a successful trip to Daytona Beach. Iowa State finished runner-up champions in Pom Division IA, took third in Jazz Division IA and brought home third in the Team Performance Division IA Finals.
"Every coach had so much to overcome this year in not being able to compete at Nationals last year, while also working with a new team this year that faced a preparation schedule that was so different than in years past," dance team coach Jill Petersen said. "I will say that God had a plan for the Iowa State Dance Team and he was with us every step of the way. He gave them the perseverance to work through adversity, the courage to work towards new skills, the determination to make routines come to life and he gave us all the strength to know that we could be successful. This group of girls is very special. They were there to push each other to do their best and they did."
