Notre Dame cheerleading accomplishes program first

Over the weekend, I received a text message from a former Notre Dame athlete asking why the managing editor of Fighting Irish Wire didn’t acknowledge a program first that occurred over the weekend for a Notre Dame team.

I had seen tweets about something so I knew what they were talking about but in complete transparency, I don’t know the first thing about that sport.  With that in mind, I turn the rest of this over to former Notre Dame cheerleader Becky (Shepkowski) Shaw.

She is most remembered for holding the “WE” sign in front of the student section during the BYU football game in 2003.

A Program First

For the first time in program history, the Irish cheerleaders competed at UCA Nationals in Orlando, Florida, this past weekend. The squad of 28 highlighted their skills in the Division 1A Coed Cheer Game Day division and advanced to Sunday’s national finals.

How’d they get there and how did they fare?

Brief Background

Though supported through the athletic department, the cheerleaders of Notre Dame have historically focused on supporting other athletes. You’ve seen them at football and basketball games, but they also cheer for soccer and volleyball, and make a number of on- and off-campus service appearances throughout the year. The nationals marked the first time the squad of 14 men, 14 women and one leprechaun took to the competition floor in 2023.

What is competition cheerleading?

Competition cheerleading has grown in a huge way over the last few years. So many of us learned a lot about it from Netflix’s “CHEER!,” but UCA Nationals have been held since 1978.

Top 10 Finish for Irish!

Head coach Delayna Myers has made a number of changes to the program since taking over in 2016, including hosting multiple skills clinics, introducing recruiting and now competition. Her first competition squad finished ninth in Orlando and seems poised for big accomplishments ahead.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire