ORLANDO, Fla. — The Pearl River cheer team has high hopes heading into this weekend's UCA National Championship competition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.
The Wildcats have been one of the nation's elite under Smith's leadership. PRCC won back-to-back national championships in 2022 and 2023 while placing second in the Traditional division in 2024.
"Pearl River Cheer has been prepping for College Nationals for the last several months. We've had two a days during both Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks," PRCC head coach Sarah Smith said. "These girls have committed themselves to these two routines and to each other. We've really pushed for harder skills to stay competitive in traditional, and in game day we've focused on putting on a performance that feels like a party for crowd."
The Wildcats are scheduled to hit the mat for the Game Day Semifinals tomorrow at 8:42 a.m. and the Traditional Cheer Semifinals on Saturday at 1:02 p.m. If they advance in the Game Day competition, the Wildcats will perform in the finals which will take place Saturday from 6:35 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. If the Wildcats advance to the Traditional Cheer finals, they will be held on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. Fans are able to livestream the competition for a fee at https://tv.varsity.com/signup.
"We have a long weekend ahead of us, but each performance is an opportunity and a privilege," Smith said. "We are looking forward to putting our best efforts on the mat and proudly representing the school we all love."
Members of the team are Chloe Atkins (Purvis), Maddie Cooley (Poplarville), Taylor Davis (Sumrall), Katie Duran (Starkville), Zoey Feazell (Mendenhall), Madison Fraiser (Fairhope), Nailah Gamble (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Maddison Graham (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Katie Anne Hedgepeth (Picayune), Jordyn Jones (Purvis), Morgan Martin (Purvis), Karson Netto (Vancleave), Kaleigha Nixon (Carriere; Pearl River Central), Addie Norris (Poplarville), I'Maya Oatis (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Tamyiah Paige (Hattiesburg; Sacred Heart), Kaeleigh Pannell (Sumrall), Mattie Prince (Sumrall), Anna Richardson (Vicksburg; Warren Central), Kadence Rogers (Taylorsville), Bella Sauseda (Starkville), Hayley Shepard (Vancleave), Camryn Stamps (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Sara Scott Stanford (Brandon), Skye Storozuk (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Sammi Vaughan (Poplarville), Alee Waters (Petal), Chloe Watkins (Picayune), Abby Bea Williams (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), Jazamine Williams (Picayune).
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