The Linfield University cheer team advanced to the semi-finals of the 2024 UCA College Cheerleading Nationals in Orlando, Florida, which took place Jan. 13-15. The Wildcats finished 19th out of 36 teams in the Open All Girl Game Day category. While the squad improved their score from 85.233 to 85.5 between the preliminary and semifinal rounds, it was not enough to advance to the final round of competition.
The Open All Girl Game Day competition included colleges from all levels, including NCAA Division I, II and III, as well as two-year colleges and NAIA schools. Linfield was the only team from Oregon competing in the category. Ultimately, West Chester University, a NCAA Division II school from Pennsylvania, won the national title.
Teams were evaluated on their ability to lead a crowd, motion techniques and execution of skills, among others.
“We perform the fight song, a situational sideline cheer and then a band dance timeout!” former head coach Madesyn Samples said. “The routine is three-minutes long, and we never stop moving start to finish.”
Linfield received zero deductions to their score from the judges in either round of competition.
This marks the second time in program history that the team has participated in the national competition. The team made its inaugural appearance in 2022. That year, the Wildcats placed ninth in the Small Coed Game Day division.
More about the Linfield cheerleading squad is online at https://golinfieldwildcats.com/sports/cheerleading.
See the full competition results at https://tv.varsity.com/events/11267291/results.
