Wingate cheerleaders eager to win second national title in three years at Daytona

By: Keely Hasty
Triangle Contributor

The Wingate University cheerleading team is headed to Daytona Beach, Fla., to compete on the biggest stage in the cheerleading world April 11-13 at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) College Nationals.

The NCA hosts one of the two collegiate cheerleading competitions that happen in the United States. Teams nationwide are split between those in the NCA and the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA).

The competition each school competes in is determined by the style of cheerleading. If a team does more traditional cheerleading, it typically competes in UCA events. Schools that are more used to competitive cheerleading will go to NCA events.

Wingate’s cheerleading team is in the NCA and is set to perform on Thursday (April 11) at 2:12 p.m. in the Game Day Division II competition at Daytona’s Bandshell.

In April 2022, the Wingate cheer team brought home the gold with a first-place finish in the NCA that was a first in program history. The team is looking forward to repeating that effort this month.

“I am feeling pretty good,” senior cheerleader Tori Ammons said. “I’m ready to feel the Florida heat and see the crowd react to our routine.”

For the freshmen or team members who have never experienced Daytona before, they are excited to see what their first nationals experience is all about.

“Going into Daytona for the first time, I have mixed emotions,” freshman Nileya Del Orbe said. “I mostly feel excited. There are some nerves knowing that it’s a national title and it is something that I have only seen through a [television] screen, but I’m excited and ready.”

Another freshman, Kaylee Eckersley, added: “Even though I haven’t experienced the competition in Daytona, I am so excited to perform. I danced competitively my whole life and I miss the rush and adrenaline from performing. I can only imagine the feeling on the Bandshell. I am still a little nervous, as I have never competitively cheered, but I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity.”

The NCA Nationals will be streamed live all three days on Varsity TV (tv.varsity.com), which is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV.