The CMU cheer team placed third in both the All-Women and Co-Ed divisions at the United Spirit Association Collegiate National Championship on Mar. 18 and 19 in Anaheim, Cali. The All-Women team took third for the second straight year, and the Co-Ed squad earned third after a second place finish at last year’s national competition.

Both squads performed well in the preliminaries on Sunday, which accounted for 60 percent of their overall score, and continued to impress the judges in the finals on Monday, accounting for 40 percent.

After placing third in last year’s competition, members of both squads were hoping to improve in the final standings this year.

“You always go into a competition wanting to improve and do better,” sophomore Taylor Breske said. “We all want that first place trophy but we rocked it out there and gave 100 percent and that’s what really matters.”

The All-Women and Co-Ed squads work year-round in preparation for nationals, and get one shot to show what they’ve put into their routines.

“Nationals is our one time to show everybody what we do,” Breske said. “Our team works incredibly hard for that moment.”

The team faced adversity when sophomore flyer Catherine Whalen was injured during practice before the preliminaries. Whalen fell from a 2-1-1 pyramid in which two girls form a base for a third girl who then holds up Whalen.

“[Whalen’s] injury definitely hurt us because she was the main part for everything we did,” Taylor Brantley said. “We had to alter a lot and do the best we could to make the look of the pyramid work.”

Despite Whalen’s injury, the squad stayed focused.

“We were all worried about her and how we were going to perform so soon, but it pulled the team together,” Breske said. “It made us realize that we’re not just teammates but also a family and we have each other’s backs.”

The All-Girl and Co-Ed squads have both placed at nationals the past two years, and look to improve their place in next year’s competition.

“The program will continue to grow and hopefully make a better impression as the years go on,” Brantley said. “It would be nice to see the team become something of what a D1 school would look like. We want to be elite.”