UM COMPETITIVE CHEER MAKES IT THREE-STRAIGHT YEARS WITH TRIP TO NATIONALS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) officially announced the qualifiers for the 2021 Competitive Cheer National Championship. The 12-team competition will get underway with preliminaries on March 12 in Davenport, Iowa.
The University of Mobile Competitive Cheer program earned an at-large bid this season, being one of three teams to earn an at-large bid and making it three-straight years Mobile has earned a trip to nationals. Mobile Head Cheer Coach Kami Whiteis and her team plans to leave Wednesday, Mar. 10 for Davenport, Io. for this weekend's national championship in search for the program's first title.
This year's field includes eight automatic qualifiers, three at-large bids and one host bid. The automatic qualifiers are determined by the winners of the qualifiers in February.
List of participating programs in the 2021 NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championship:
| Institution | Qualification | Appearances | Last Time | Titles |
| Bethel (Kan.) | KCAC | 2 | 2017 | 0 |
| Concordia (Mich.) | Wolverine-Hoosier | 5 | 2020 | 1 |
| Georgetown | Mid-South | 1 | - | 0 |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League | 5 | 2020 | 0 |
| Life (Ga.) | At-Large | 1 | - | 0 |
| Lourdes (Ohio) | At-Large | 5 | 2020 | 0 |
| Midland (Neb.) | GPAC | 3 | 2020 | 2 |
| Missouri Valley | Heart of America | 5 | 2020 | 1 |
| Mobile (Ala.) | At-Large | 3 | 2020 | 0 |
| Oklahoma City | Northeast Grouping (St. Ambrose) | 5 | 2020 | 1 |
| St. Ambrose (Iowa) | Host Bid | 5 | 2020 | 0 |
| Xavier University | Southest Grouping (Univ. of Mobile) | 1 | - | 0 |
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Competition will begin on March 12 in Lee Lohman Arena on the campus of St. Ambrose University (Iowa). Teams at the Competitive Cheer National Championships will be competing on a level playing field as regular season and qualifier scores are not taken into consideration during the championships.
On Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 4:15 p.m. CT, the Rams will put on a showcase and send-off performance for family and fans in H. Austill Pharr Gymnasium at the University of Mobile.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
