Kentucky Cheerleading Finishes Third in UCA National Competition

Photo courtesy of Mont Dawson

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky cheerleaders finished third in the nation in the Division IA large coed division at the Universal Cheerleaders Association finals competition Sunday night in Orlando, Fla.

Kentucky entered the finals in seventh place but the Cats were able to climb in the standings with an extremely strong performance on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m proud of the routine we put out there because it was the most difficult routine in our division,” said UK head coach Ryan O’Connor. “We are still the only team to compete three full-twisting 1-1-1’s and we were the first team to compete four 1-1-1 pyramids in the DIA division. We were innovative, fun to watch and difficult. We can’t help what the judges decide, but this routine deserves to be celebrated and remembered.”

Alabama won the Division IA Coed competition, while South Florida finished second.

Kentucky has won 24 national championships in program history, more than any other school in the history of the competition.