Orlando, Fla. - The UH cheer squad flipped, lifted, and cheered their way to third place at the 2005 National College Cheerleading Championships this past weekend. A crowd favorite, Hawai'i was edged out by a very good Tennessee team for second place. The University of Kentucky won the title for the second straight year.

UH was one of the few squads to execute their routine cleanly (with no drops), while many other teams faltered in the 16-team, Division IA finals.

"We performed our opening perfectly--we had no dropped stunts or pyramids, and the crowd really got into the 'cheer' portion of our routine," explains head coach Mike Baker. "This team was determined to hit it with everything they had, and they did."

After placing 13th last year, the 2005 team vaulted their way past perennial powerhouses such as Alabama, Louisiana State, Ohio State, Texas, and Central Florida. The third place finish ties the highest showing ever for Hawai`i in 15 years of participating in the prestigious national competition.

The team is poised to have a great future as half the squad are freshmen or first year transfers. They will loose at least 2 seniors who have provided great leadership and maturity.

"This team has worked extremely hard and really earned the respect of the judges and the audience," said Baker. "I'm so proud of what they were able to accomplish on such a huge, national stage. The university and the state were represented well in Orlando."

The competition will be aired on ESPN in March.

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