After a big win, XULA Cheer returns to NAIA cheer nationals
March 13, 2023
By Aamari Benford, Staff Writer
XULA cheer team has done it again. The team returned to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) cheer competition to defend their title as national champs. Xavier played host to the NAIA Cheer and Dance Competition titled “The Battle in the Big Easy” that took place from Thursday, Feb. 9. to Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at Xavier’s Convocation Center.
“I feel triumphant, I feel devoted to this. It’s like although I am tired, I know that I’m doing this for a deeper purpose and I’m committed, no matter how many times my body or mind is telling me I’m too tired,” said Teddie Reid, a Xavier senior who is the captain of the cheerleading team.
“We are doing this for the younger Black athletes that look like us. The younger children that look like us. To inspire them, empower them, and give them the motivation and the belief that they can do this too and they can be successful in this world,” Reid said.
The XULA cheer team showed why they were last year’s winners with a performance mixed with impressive stunts, sharp moves, high flips, and an all- out superior routine. The team ultimately earned the big win. They made a statement by scoring 97.72 over Dillard University’s cheer team, who scored 75.44 at the Big Easy competition.
The teams competed over a three-day span in the city. XULA’s cheer squad has now won each battle in the NAIA’s Big Easy Cheer Competition. The history of cheer wins has been record-setting for XULA cheerleaders. They have regional championship competition titles for 2021, 2022, and now in 2023.
The team won first place at nationals last year and became the first Historically Black College and university to take home that title. Other HBCUs that participated in this weekend’s events were Langston University and Dillard University. On competition day on Feb. 10, Langston University scored second place in the “Battle in the Big Easy” and on Saturday, Feb. 11, Dillard University earned second place in the group championship meet.
“I have never felt so supported in cheer until I came to Xavier. We have a bond like no other which allows us to trust in every single person on the mat,” said Kendall Baggett, a Xavier freshman and member of the cheer team.
“Our coach is also what makes our team different. No one is as giving and supportive as him, in or out of cheer. He molds us into individuals who can hit a routine under any circumstance and into people who, once we graduate, will be able to succeed in our life and in our careers,” Baggett said.
Head Cheer Coach Glenn Caston, whose expertise led the team to multiple victories, has been coaching at Xavier as competitive cheer head coach, for roughly five years. In 2022, Caston was selected as the vice president of the NAIA Cheer Coaches Association, and he has won the NAIA Cheer Coach of the Year award in 2022 and 2023.
“No matter if we win or lose, I’ll be happy that not just me, but my team did everything we could do with the time we spent together this season,” said Tia Barrett, a sophomore member of the cheer team.
