Dance, Cheer Teams Bring Home 3 National Titles

Charles Wyatt
Dance, Cheer Teams Bring Home 3 National Titles

The trophy case at Limestone College just got a little more crowded.

The Limestone dance and cheer teams traveled to the CheerLTD Nationals at the CANAM Open on Friday, March 18, to compete alongside several of the top squads from across the country.

The Saints dominated the field and brought home three national championships.

The dance team started off the day with back-to-back routines on Friday morning, beginning with a performance in the open variety category. The Saints edged out local squads from Lander University and UNC-Greensboro, as well as others, before turning around quickly to compete a second time in the hip-hop category.

Despite competing with roughly half the squad size as most other groups, Limestone's dance team cruised through both categories with victories to claim two first-place honors.

“The team couldn't be happier after putting in so much work and finally seeing a reward,” said dance team head coach Ashley Gatto. “We're already excited about coming back next year and sweeping the competition again.”

The Limestone cheer squad followed up later in the day with its own impressive performance, beating out 10 other teams in the Small Coed Collegiate Division. The Saints scored 127.55 out of a possible 140 points to best the University of Arkansas Monticello and the University of Alabama Huntsville for top honors.

“Last year our team placed first runner-up at this competition, so we made it our goal to come back this year and win,” said cheer head coach Hailey Martin. “This team really stepped it up. Their performance was electric. We now have a couple of weeks to prepare for our next competition, the NCA College Cheerleading National Championship, and we will be working hard to go in and make a name for our program.”

That competition will be held in Daytona, FL, beginning on April 6.