Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A recent book on competitive cheerleading named Stephen F. Austin State University the “Yale of College Cheerleading,” and results from the National competition showed why.  The Co-Ed Cheerleading team recently returned from Daytona Beach, Fla., with its sixth-straight national championship trophy.

The dominating performance saw the team shake off a fifth-place showing in the preliminary competition to jump four places and take their 10th national championship in the past 14 years, according to Trisha O’Connor, head coach.

“I am really proud of our team and how they came back from a disappointing first day to show what this program is about,” O’Connor said.  “I knew we had a championship-caliber team and we proved that by hitting one of the hardest routines in the history of our sport.”

SFA finished with a score of 9.204, barely edging out rival and fellow Southland Conference school Central Arkansas, which posted a 9.125. 

“UCA pushed us this year in a way we have never been pushed,” said Jerrod Vanover, one of the team captains.  “I feel like we really found out what kind of team we have here. In my four years here at SFA, this is our best moment; sometimes the close wins mean a little more.”

The SFA team was featured in Kate Torgovnick’s recently released book “Cheer! Three Teams on a Quest for College Cheerleading’s Ultimate Prize.”

In addition to the team honors, the SFA Co-Ed team brought home a trophy in the partner-stunt competition. Ashley Tucker and Tim Wegner took the national championship with a score of 8.933. 

“I really wanted us to win to reclaim a title the school had held for four years before losing it last year,” Tucker said about the partner competition.

Four SFA stunt couples earned top spots in the competition, including third-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-place awards.

Other teams competing for SFA also had a great weekend. The SFA Pom Squad finished second in the nation and posted a score of 8.950.  It was the best showing for the team in 10 years.

“This is proof our entire program is on the national stage,” said head coach T.J. Maple.  “This is just the beginning.”

The Small Co-Ed  squad finished in ninth place with a score of 8.438, beating schools including University of Maryland, Kansas State Universityand the University of Colorado.

The competition is scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports at 2 p.m. April 26 and 29.