Blue Hawk cheer takes 5th at National Championships

Ypsilanti, Mich. – Dickinson State cheerleading earned their third consecutive top five national finish on Friday, finishing in fifth place at the NAIA Cheer and Dance National Championships on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

The Blue Hawks posted a score of 90.63 on day one in the preliminary round, good enough to head into the finals in fourth place. DSU improved on that score in the final round with a 91.06, but they were jumped one place in the standings and finished in fifth.

"Top 5 in the Nation is a strong placement," said head coach Cebe Schneider. "I'm proud of our athletes for what they accomplished nationally, and for the work it took to get here. We were grateful to have earned a spot to represent our university at NAIA Nationals. Our work isn't done. We will continue to examine what we can do better and apply what we have learned. We could not, and would not, be where we are without the support of the Dickinson State University family of staff, faculty and administration, our parents and families, and the Boosters and Foundation. As always, Hawks are up!"

Dickinson State still has one competition scheduled this season, as they will travel to Daytona, Florida for the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) National Championships on Thursday, April 11.

Final Combined Team Standings

 1. St. Ambrose (Iowa) — 97.28
 2. Xavier (La.) — 96.91
 3. Oklahoma City — 95.91
 4. Concordia (Mich.) — 91.73
 5. Dickinson State (N.D.) — 91.06
 6. Northwestern (Iowa) — 88.55
 7. Missouri Valley — 88.46
 8. Florida Memorial — 87.95
 9. Saint Mary (Kan.) — 87.78
10. Cumberlands (Ky.) — 86.75
11. Tennessee Southern — 86.00
12. Indiana Wesleyan — 85.08
13. Georgetown (Ky.) — 84.70
14. Midland (Neb.) — 83.04
15. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) — 82.33