GREENSBORO, N.C. — NC A&T cheerleaders made history as the first team from the university to compete in the National Cheerleader Association (NCA) & National Dance Alliance (NDA) College National Championship.
The squad also made their mark as the first in at least 20 years to represent a historically Black college or university (HBCU) from North Carolina of the 12 teams that participated.
The Aggies earned second-place honors, missing first place from among 21 teams by less than one point.
"We put a lot of effort and work into preparing for nationals. We practiced literally every day of the week," Co-captain Alivia Barrow said. "It's really rewarding to be able to put in that work and to represent Greensboro and to represent A&T the way we do."
They also boasted the highest raw score in their Intermediate All Girl Division I's two days of competition and was among the top eight highest scores of all intermediate teams and top 10 highest scores of all competition -- about 430 NCA and NDA teams.
"It's a phenomenal feeling. I'm very happy, very proud, and looking forward to doing it again," Head cheerleading coach Daniel Kearns-Pickett said.
The squad is a highly visible group, designed to build humble, strong and competitive student-athletes who are active in the community and serve as positive representatives of the university.
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