UTRGV Cheer Team places at nationals

The UTRGV Cheer Team placed fourth in the Small Co-Ed Game Division at the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Cheerleading National Championship on Jan. 14.

The competition took place at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and was televised on ESPN. The UCA College National Championship is the most prestigious college cheerleading championship in the country, according to its website.

The team competed against 19 other universities. Only 10 universities made it to the final round of the division.

“UCA college nationals, it’s really a competition for all collegiate chapters of cheerleading–dance, you name it, pump squads to go out and compete,” said Cindy Mata-Vasquez, director of Student Activities. “So, at a national level, we get to see schools like Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, Texas, all these different schools from all across the nation to compete.”

Mata-Vasquez said it is a good opportunity to see where your university stands when it comes to the spirit program.

Lora Solis, head cheer and mascot coach for the Spirit Program, described how the team had to overcome different obstacles to get to nationals.

“We did not have a program from March 2020 [and] a lot of people do not know this,” Solis said. “We finished our 2020 season in March and we did not start back up till August 2021.”

She said the team did not train or recruit for a long time, but caught up last semester, including cheering at games and being ready for UTRGV Madness.

“I was proud of us,” said Karyna Salinas, a cheer member and criminal justice junior. “There was that little part of me that knew we could do more, or knew we could get a higher place. But for what we practiced and how long we had, I think it was really good.”

Mata-Vasquez said the goal for nationals was to see where they stand as a team.

“The last time that we went to the national competition, UTRGV place second,” she said. “This was right before the pandemic. We wanted to at least place to see where we were.”

Mata-Vasquez said it was amazing that even though they had a new team, they were able to make it into the top five.

“We were able to see, like, ‘OK, how can we improve? How can we do better?’” she said. “And I think it will give our younger members something to want to work towards next year. Hopefully, next year, we can go back and come home with, you know, a medal, whether it’s third, second or first.”

Cheer co-captain and graduate student in nursing Jaylynn Wimberly said her experience at nationals was emotional.

“Definitely the love, the family, the energy that you feel when you get there,” Wimberly said. “It’s amazing just being in that arena with all those teams and knowing how hard you worked to be there.”

She said with this being her last year, doing her bit for the team was emotional.

Dance member Isabella Brunetti, a  dance and business sophomore, also competed at nationals.

“The experience I had going to nationals, like watching both cheer and dance, was so humbling,” Brunetti said. “It made me more hungry to want to come back and, like, work harder to just be better.”

She said she is excited to work hard in the offseason to get the results that they deserve.

Mata-Vasquez described the differences between UTRGV and the other universities that competed.

“The ganas (desire) to

want to be there,” she said about the UTRGV Cheer Team. “They really showed unity. They showed a united front. They showed that they deserve to be there just like anybody else.”

She praised the team’s athleticism.

“I’m a former athlete … myself, so I know the adrenaline that students feel,” Mata-Vasquez said. “But being there with them. Being backstage, just feeling their energy, just being in the moment with them. I mean, my adrenaline was pumping, my blood was rushing, and I definitely was cheering for them. So I would say exhilarating. I commend them for doing what they do. They’re tremendous student athletes. And seeing the athleticism that goes into it is amazing.”

Cheer co-captain and English graduate student Lorissa Saenz said the team persevered through the difficulties and delays.

“We had so many difficulties leading up to the competition,” Saenz said. “We went out to the world, coming from Texas all the way to Florida, still [with] the difficulty of COVID.”

Mata-Vasquez said the university will continue to support the cheer team.

“We are going to be cheering them to make sure that they are succeeding,” Mata-Vasquez said. “I think everyone should be proud of our Spirit Program and, you know, V’s up.”