April 12, 2006

Daytona, Fla. - The Missouri all-girl and co-ed cheer squads finished in eighth and ninth place, respectively at the 11th annual National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Collegiate Competition in Daytona Beach, Fla., earlier this month. Marking the sixth straight year Missouri has placed among the top-10 at national competition, the co-ed competition will air Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m. (CST) on CBS while the all-girl squad routines will run Tuesday, May 2, at 2 p.m. (CST) on Fox Sports Net.

Both teams qualified for preliminaries in Florida after submitting a skill video for review by contest coordinators. After receiving an invitation to compete, the teams surged through the field.

"I am just so proud of our kids," Missouri Cheer and Mascot Coordinator Suzy Thompson said. "Both teams making it to nationals is a great accomplishment. They spend so much time cheering on other teams, but this was their time to shine."

While only the top-five routines will be shown in full on April 22 and May 2, the Tiger cheerleaders will still be seen both days. Missouri's squads were the only teams selected to record promotions for the on-air events and taped the shots at the prestigious Daytona 500 Speedway.

"These are such great kids and student-athletes," Thompson said. "I really consider them the best ambassadors for the University of Missouri."