EMCC places 10th at UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship

ORLANDO, Fla.— East Mississippi Community College's cheerleading team earned a top 10 national finish during the 2023 UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship held this past weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located within the Walt Disney World Resort. EMCC's 10^th-place showing took place among the 24-team field of the Small Coed Game Day division.

Making their first UCA/UDA national championship appearance since 2017, the EMCC Lions opened the weekend by posting a sixth-place finish in their division during Friday's semifinals contested at the State Farm Field House. EMCC earned a score of 87.3333 with zero deductions to place sixth overall and rank as the highest team finisher among participating two-year colleges.

In advancing to Saturday morning's finals held at the AdventHealth Arena, EMCC collected a score of 86.5 to place 10^th just behind Coastal Alabama Community College (86.9). The University of Delaware claimed gold medalist honors in the Small Coed Game Day division, while Hofstra University and Northern Kentucky University were silver medalist and bronze medalist recipients, respectively.

Guided by third-year head cheer coach Danielle McDade, the 2022-23 EMCC cheerleading team is comprised of: Nadia Arellano (Enterprise); Cameron Boone (Wayne Academy); Cameron Cagle (West Lauderdale HS); Aislynn Cochran (Canton Academy); Kaitlyn Freeman (Germantown HS); Maycee Gilmer (Sebastopol HS); Chloe Godwin (Northeast Lauderdale HS); Jordan Gully (Kemper Academy); Alyissia Joseph (Louisville); Jayden Lathem (Sebastopol); Gracie McDill (Sebastopol); Stazyon Robinson (Starkville); Jordan Seales (Moss Point); Raychel Smith (Southeast Lauderdale HS); Lauren Wooldridge (Clarkdale HS); and Leo the Lion mascot Scottlan McNutt (Choctaw County HS).