Lakers Defend National Title At NCA College Nationals

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Roosevelt University cheerleading program successfully defended its national title Friday afternoon at the 2024 National Cheer Association College Nationals in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Lakers were the best team in the preliminary round Thursday in the Intermediate Small Coed NAIA division, beating out the second-place squad by more than five points. The margin grew a full point in the final round with Roosevelt's score of 92.8125 easily beating out second-place Peru State. It is the second national title in the program's history, and fortunately not the last one the Lakers will be able to earn in this division.

Roosevelt will be able to go for a three-peat next season because per the NCA bylaws, the Lakers will remain in the NAIA division for one more year. They will not be changing to the Division II division until the football program is eligible for postseason play, which would not be until the 2026 competition. 

"It's an honor to represent Roosevelt University and the state of Illinois," Roosevelt head coach Bobby Rinaldi said. "I'm extremely proud of how well this team came together, especially in the weeks leading up to the competition. Coming back for our second consecutive title is a difficult task, and our student-athletes handled the added pressure well. I want to thank Max Davito and Jason Nardela for their help this year, as well as Spirit Coordinator Lindsay Jones, without whom, we could not have made it this far."