GREENSBORO, N.C. — NC A&T's cheerleaders brought home the first championship title home from the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and National Dance Alliance (NDA) College National Championship.
With a final score of 97.6412, the Aggies took first-place honors in the Intermediate Small Coed Division I group. The group of 14 competitors included only two other teams from a historically Black college or university (HBCU).
"When we heard that we didn't get second, it was like a sense of relief and all I could do was thank God," Co-captain Santana Baker said. "Finally, the win that we've been working hard for since last time we stepped foot into Daytona."
The competition was held in Daytona, Florida on April 11-13.
In last year's competition, the Aggies received second-place honors just shy of first place by one point among 21 teams.
Their "Road 2 Redemption," as they called it, saw them make history by becoming the first HBCU team to win this division title and the first HBCU team in North Carolina to win an NCA National Championship.
"We practiced for it. We planned for it. We manifested it," Team member Janiya Croxie said. "And to see it actually come true is just a great feeling."
The Aggies went up against another HBCU champion, Xavier University of Louisiana, which won in the Advanced Large Coed National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics group.
The 2023 Aggie squad members were the first team from the university to compete in the national competition and made their mark as the first squad in at least 20 years to represent an HBCU from North Carolina in last year's event.
"Better Than Yesterday" has been the team's motto throughout this season.
“I just remember not hearing our name called for second place which means we had first and I just remember laying out and thanking God," Head Coach Daniel Kearns-Pickett said.
It’s a full circle moment for Kearns-Pickett as the Head Coach competed for the same title just ten years earlier.
“The highest I placed was third and so now being able to take my athletes ten years later and win it all it’s just a blessing," Kearns-Pickett said.
"We pushed through adversity to make a statement to the world that, yes, it is possible and yes, we can do it, too." Co-captain Iycess Hooper said. "Hunger, grit, poise, intentionality and the power of God is what led us to this win."
Head coach Daniel Kearns-Pickett, who competed in the national event as a college student, said this year's results represent a huge step for NC A&T's program and HBCUs.
"This was more than just winning and making history," he said. "For me, it was all about my athletes understanding who they are and truly knowing they can accomplish anything in this world."
The NC A&T cheerleading squad is a highly visible group, designed to build humble, strong, and competitive student-athletes who are active in the community and positively represent the university well.
Watch the Aggies' winning routine:
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