Photos courtesy of Athena Whaley

The CMU cheer team took its next big step in becoming a nationally recognized team by attending the Universal Cheerleading Association Collegiate Camp in Santa Barbara for the first time two weeks ago. They were invited after taking fifth place last year and won six awards (listed below) in the camp.

Among the awards won were Newcomer of the Year, which is only given out when a team makes a big impression its first year attending, and Most Collegiate Cheer Team, which, according to coach Athena Whaley, is the most pretigious award that is given among all campers in D1 and D2. The 26 coed members (including the 10 freshmen) showed much improvement and impressed not only Whaley, but also other D1 coaches, who were taken aback by the athleticism of the squad.

“I’ve felt good about the freshmen since tryouts,” Whaley said. “We increased the requirements for GPA and athleticism, and the freshmen bought into that with no problem. They met those requirements, and we went and made a huge impression.”

The team competed in the large coed division at camp against 20 other teams that included Arizona State and San Diego State.

The cheer team was joined by the Mavettes dance team (performing off-campus for the first time) and were recognized with a superior rating, the highest available at the camp. The Mavettes, Whaley shared, have made great strides, and she feels that students will be in for a show when they perform at halftime for the football home opener in early September.

Awards Received: Most Collegiate Cheer Team, Newcomer of the Year, 1st place Cheer Camp Champions, 1st place Game Day Material, 2nd place Fight Song, and 2nd place Sidelines.

jdredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu