April 12, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, FL-- For the first time since the 2006 season, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's cheerleaders are national champions.

The Corsairs finished first at the two-day, All-Girl Division II National Cheerleading Association Championships at the Ocean Center. UMass Dartmouth finished with a score of 8.695, Slippery Rock was second at 8.620, and Valdosta State was third.

The championship is the fourth for UMass Dartmouth, who won in 1999 and 2001, finished second in 2005 and again last year, was fourth four years ago and third in each of the previous two seasons.

"Yesterday, we had two .1 deductions for our overall scores, but in the finals, we didn't have any deductions," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Scott Bouchard. "We didn't make any mistakes, and as soon as we were done, we felt that we had won, even though we had to wait for Slippery Rock to compete after us, and for the scores to come out."

Bouchard said that it was quite a moment when the announcement was made. "As soon as they announced the score, we knew," said Bouchard. "Everyone cheered, and jumped up and down. It was very emotional, and very gratifying. It's great to be able to celebrate, and we're looking forward to coming back as national champions. Everyone is very excited, and I'm very proud of our team and the way they performed."

The championships concluded the competitive season for UMass Dartmouth.