On January 17-19, 2025, Drury University Cheer competed in the UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship. The annual competition, hosted by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and the Universal Dance Association (UDA), was held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.  

The team placed 4th out of 15 total teams in Traditional, which involves all-star cheerleading style routines. The team also placed 5th out of 22 total teams in Game Day, which represents the team’s game-related routines. Both performances are available for viewing on Instagram @drurycheer. 

Although Drury is an NCAA Division II university, UCA moved Drury into the Small Coed Division I group to fill additional competition slots. This is the first time the team has competed in the Division I category.  

Senior Trinity Morgan said it was terrifying competing on the Division I level, especially since this marked the team’s first time competing Game Day under head coach Tyler Dunlap, who entered the position in 2022. However, with an extensive practice schedule and member involvement in the program’s structure, the team left their hard work on the national stage. 

“We threw four routines at nationals, and we hit all four,” Morgan said. “We can’t control the judges or anyone else’s routines, but we can control ours, and we did just that.” 

Leading up to the competition, the team practiced three times a week until finals week. On Sundays, the team added open gyms where they practiced fun skills to avoid burnout. The open gyms are open to anybody interested in cheer, regardless of background in the sport.

Participation costs $10 with proceeds going towards the team’s funds to return to the UCA College Nationals next year. “We’re just there to have a good time and teach people how to cheer, because we love it so much,” Morgan said.  

In the weeks before the competition, the team added “two a days” where they practiced two times per day. These practices helped the team maintain their routines when illness and injuries arose.  

A typical practice prioritizes the mental aspects of training just as much as the physical. Morgan said that practices include time at the beginning for the team to get in the right headspace and debriefing time at the end to reflect on the session. “We start on the same page and end on the same page,” Morgan said. 

Competing on a national stage is no easy task, particularly with the overwhelming number of people and busy schedules. When the team wasn’t warming up or competing, they were decompressing from the excitement. 

Following the competition, Morgan spoke with a new team member who had never cheered before joining the team. He described the atmosphere best: “He goes, ‘This is the biggest thing I have ever experienced. It’s like the Super Bowl halftime performance on steroids!’” 

Morgan shared that the competition marked her last time competing as she finishes her four years at Drury. “I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my cheerleading career,” she said. 

“Freshman year Trinity had no idea the impact that Drury Cheerleading was going to have on me, but then I would also have on Drury Cheerleading,” Morgan said. “The team helps run the program. I have helped shape it into something. Even when I’m gone, I’m still going to be here. There’s going to always be a piece of me at Drury Cheer.” 

Photos courtesy of Drury Cheer