ANAHEIM, Calif.— University of Hawai'i cheerleaders George McGuire and Azaria Bermudez and David Gilles and Stephanie Hentschel placed first and second in the USA Collegiate Partner Stunt Championship on Monday at the Anahem Convention Center.
 
Partner McGuire and Bermudez finished first with a combined score of 91.76 out of 100 points. Gilles and Hentschel came in a close second place with a slightly lower score of 91.34 due to a deduction on hand placement on one of their stunts.
 
On Sunday, in the semifinals, it was the duo of Gilles and Hentschel who placed first with a near-perfect 36.92 out of 40 points. McGuire and Bermudez were in second with a 36.56 score.
 
The competition was a two-day affair with the semi-finals on Sunday accounting for 40% and the finals on Monday counting for 60% of the teams' final scores. Partners were judged on choreography, execution, showmanship and overall impression.
 
“We pride ourselves on having the best co-ed stunting in the country, so it's nice when we can get to the mainland to showcase what we can do,” says head coach Mike Baker.
“These particular couples do a great job here at home and we were happy to have them represent our program at Nationals.”
 
This is the second straight win for McGuire who won the 2011 championship with former partner Niki Fernandez. He also placed fifth with Amanda Lucero in the 2009 National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Cheer Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.