HPU cheerleaders win two national crowns

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i Pacific University won two national titles and a runner-up honor at the National Cheerleaders Association Chick-fil-A collegiate championships yesterday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Sea Warriors' coed team won the Cheer Division II title for the second year in a row, and placed second in the All-Girls Division II. HPU also won the Dance Division II title, making it the first time a Hawai'i dance team captured a national collegiate title at the NCA event.

"It's fantastic," HPU cheerleading coach Ashley Edwards said. "I'm extremely proud of them. They worked really hard for this. I think the judges liked our overall performance, our confidence. It looked like we were having the time of our lives. The crowd really enjoyed it."

The Chick-fil-A Cheer and Dance Collegiate Championship is the largest event of its kind in the world. With teams from across the United States, Mexico, Japan and Canada, it is the most widely viewed college cheer and dance event in the history of the collegiate spirit competitions.

In the cheer division, HPU defeated 12 other teams with University of Costa Rica and Northwest Missouri State finishing second and third, respectively.

In the all-girls category, HPU finished second to Kennessaw State in the 19-team competition. HPU is the only all-girls college cheer team from Hawai'i.

In the dance category, HPU defeated 17 other teams in the competition, including runner-up Tamagawa University-Julias of Tokyo.