DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Morgan State University cheer team finished with a program-high score of 94.78 and a historic 2nd place title in the 2014 NCA Collegiate Cheer Championship Finals on Friday in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sam Houston State University took home the championship title with a score of 95.63.
The Cheer Bears advanced to the finals after posting the fourth top score on Day 1 (90.33 on a 100-point scale) of the competition, and was edged out for the national championship despite posting an error-free performance.
Joining the Cheer Bears in the finals were: Kennesaw State University, Towson University, Bryant University, Boston University, University of New Hampshire, and Coastal Carolina University.
"Words cannot express the joy and pride these ladies have given us today," head coach Theresa Gibson said. "The extraordinary crowd support helped to launch these young ladies into overdrive. You could feel their energy exploding from the stage. They did not get any deductions. We could not have asked anything more from them ending this sensational season."
"We knew we had it in us to perform at this level," said Cheer Bears captain Amber Roberson. "We just had to convince ourselves that it was to our benefit to work hard, and work to our potential while putting it all on the mat."
Roberson added, "It's going to take us a few days to come down from this feeling."
This marked the third year the Cheer Bears have competed in the All-Girl I Division and they have improved incrementally each year. They posted a 6th place finish in 2012 and were 3rd place a year ago. They have certainly proven to be a viable and competitive, national-level program.
ALL-GIRL I
Finals
1. Sam Houston State University 95.63
2. Morgan State University 94.78
3. Towson University 93.65
4. Kennesaw State University 92.10
5. Coastal Carolina University 92.05
6. University of New Hampshire 90.98
7. Boston University 88.95
8. Bryant University 88.35
9. Mercer University 87.85