April 9, 2009

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's cheerleading team is in a familiar place after the first day of action at the two-day, All-Girl Division III National Cheerleading Association Championships at the Ocean Center.

The defending champion Corsairs are in first place heading into tomorrow's finals. UMass Dartmouth led the way with a score of 9.002, which included a sub total of 9.252 with a deduction of .25. The Corsairs lead second-place Azusa Pacific, which came in at 8.891. Elmira is third at 8.702. The field includes 18 teams.

"We're excited to be where we are," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Scott Bouchard. "We didn't do as well as I would have liked. We made a few mistakes, and we need to clean them up for tomorrow."

UMass Dartmouth will compete in the finals when the championships conclude Friday evening.

UMASS DARTMOUTH CHEERLEADING