PULLMAN, Wash. – For the third-straight year, Washington State University’s Cheer and Crimson Girls will compete at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and Universal Dancers Association (UDA) College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships, while Butch T. Cougar will compete for the second-straight year in the Mascot National Championship, Jan. 15-17, at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Butch will be competing for the second-straight time in the Division IA Mascot category, Friday, Jan. 15 at 5:56 p.m. PT/8:56 p.m. ET. Friday’s action will be streamed for free on the ESPN app or ESPN3.com with the mascot competition beginning at 5:16 p.m. PT. On Saturday, the Crimson Girls will compete in the Division IA Jazz Semifinals against 25 other teams, taking the stage at 9:48 a.m. PT/12:48 p.m. ET. WSU Cheer will compete in the Division IA Coed semifinals against 21 other teams, taking the stage, Saturday, Jan. 16 at 4:09 p.m. PT/7:09 p.m. ET.
Fourth-year Sprit Coach Chris Opheim is coaching WSU Cheer, while former Crimson Girl Kaila Evenoff, in her first year at WSU, is coaching the Crimson Girls. Opheim is a former head judge at the competition and a 10-year UCA staff instructor.
Last season marked the second-straight year that the WSU Cheerleaders had competed at the competition and the second time since 2008 that the squad had competed in any competition. It was also the second time since 2009 that the Crimson Girls competed at the UDA Dance Team National Championships. Cheer finished 11th in 2015 and 12th in 2014, becoming the first Division IA squad to make the final round in its debut year since 2004. The Crimson Girls didn’t place last year, but placed 12th in 2014.
Following 2014’s competition, the CEO/Founder of UCA, Jeff Webb, said, “Watch out for this new team [Washington State], there will be a lot of success in its future. [It is] Definitely a team on the rise.”
Sixteen Cougar Cheer Squad members will compete at the championships in Florida, including nine males and seven females, with just two of them seniors (both males). Seventeen Crimson Girls will be competing for WSU, with none of them being seniors.
The cheer routines last two minutes and 30 seconds as 45 seconds must be crowd-leading cheer. The dance routines also last two minutes.
Competing against the Cougars in the cheer competition will be fellow Pac-12 schools Colorado and Washington, Mississippi State, Florida State, Western Kentucky, Alabama, Iowa, Rutgers, Mississippi, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Minnesota, Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, New Mexico, Louisiana-Lafayette, Virginia Tech, UCF, Ohio State and LSU.
The Crimson Girls will compete against fellow-Pac-12 schools, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona State and Arizona, LSU, New Mexico, Bowling Green, Boston College, Michigan, Akron, Temple, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Arkansas State, San Diego, Memphis, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Rutgers, Florida State, Michigan State, Wake Forest, Ohio State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Butch will be competing against Goldy Gopher from Minnesota, Mike from LSU, Bucky Badger from Wisconsin, Aubie from Auburn, Brutus Buckeye from Ohio State, Boomer from Oklahoma, Owlsley from Florida Atlantic, Sparty from Michigan State, Chip from Colorado and Big AL from Alabama.
Over 100 schools are represented internationally in over 12 cheer and dance divisions. Preliminary rounds take place Saturday, Jan. 16 with the top 12 squads advancing to the finals, Sunday, Jan. 17, which will air on ESPN/ESPN2 in March and April.
