Cheerleading | 4/19/2024 1:11:00 PM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A year ago, the North Carolina A&T cheerleading could not find the final 0.0925 points needed to win the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) College National Championship, finishing in second place.
Found it!!! The A&T cheerleading team made history on April 12, becoming the first HBCU to win the cheerleading national title in their division and the first HBCU cheer team from the state of North Carolina when it captured the 2024 NCA College Nationals in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Competing in the Intermediate Small Coed Division I, the Aggies finished the three-day competition triumphantly with a raw score of 88.3, seizing the trophy with an overall event score of 97.6412. Last year, the Aggies made history by being the first team to attend the NCA College Nationals for the University. They were less than one point away from clutching the champion title. The Aggies cheerleading team turned what may seem like defeat to others into momentum to remain determined to rise to victory and win a national title this year.
"Of course, we wanted to win, but for me, it was all about allowing my 'kids' to have that 'finally' moment," said A&T cheerleading head coach Daniel Kearns-Pickett. "All this work actually paid off, especially with losing last year by 0.0925. For me, I wanted them to have that moment to be national champions and to make history. I'm so thankful. Before I could do anything else, I had to make sure God knew that I am so thankful. You can't win all of them, but there is a reason for the journey and a reason why we had the ups and downs. It was for this moment."
The Aggies competed against 13 other teams in the division, which included Stephen F. Austin State, Central Arkansas, Missouri State, Jackson State, New Hampshire, UNC Wilmington, College of Charleston, Incarnate Word, DePaul, Tennessee State, Charleston Southern, Illinois State, and California State University Northridge.
The motto A&T cheerleading team is "Better than Yesterday", and they devoted their entire season to not only cheer on the other Aggies athletics teams but to continue to emphasize the importance of knowing that anything is possible as long as they continue to thrive in all that they do, stick together, and leave it all out there on the mat.
The Aggies are preparing for the 2024-2025 season. Team tryouts will take place on April 19-21.
Be on the lookout for a team that embodies the true essence of Aggie Pride and will persist in being better than yesterday.
