May 03, 2021
ORLANDO, Fla. – Trine University cheerleading traveled to Florida to compete in this year’s Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) College Cheerleading Nationals in the Open Small Coed division and returned home with an impressive runner-up finish.
The event was a two-day process with a preliminary round held on Tuesday, April 27 and finals held on Wednesday, April 28. The overall winner would be determined by averaging the two performance scores for a final event score.
In the preliminary round, the Thunder would join just two other teams from any division with a hit-zero performance. The other two teams both came out of the All Girl division and represented University of Mississippi and Western Kentucky University. Trine would also finish the finals round hit-zero which means no stunts fell, all tumbling landed cleanly and no one violated the safety rules of the competition.
In the preliminary round the team posted a score of 79.8, good enough to enter the finals in a tie for first. The division was extremely close with the top three teams all posting scores within .4 points of each other.
The Thunder would turn in a performance score of 83.1 in the final round making their event score 81.45 just 1.5 points behind the first-place team.
"It was our goal return from Orlando with a hit-zero performance in the finals and a championship," said head coach Shea Sims, "While we missed out on the second, I am still extremely proud of what these 18 competitors have accomplished this season despite the adversity they have been presented with."
Trine was the only institution from the state of Indiana that was able to compete in the championship in person rather than virtually.
Competing for the team were:
Jennifer Rubenstein, a Trine University alumna with more than 20 years of experience in communications and relationship management, has joined the university’s Office of University Advancement as director of development.
Grace Larson, a Trine University psychology major from Alto, Michigan, is studying in Stockholm, Sweden, this semester. She arrived in January and will be in the country until May.
High school students from the AMP Lab at Electric Works in Fort Wayne swept the top prizes at Trine University’s annual high school Storm Tank competition on Feb. 25.