DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Northeastern State Pom is a National Champion!
 
NSU, which made its first trip to a national competition since 1989, took home top honors in Open Division of Spirit Rally on Friday, April 8, in Daytona Beach, Fla. RiverHawks Pom claimed their first national championship as members of NCAA Division II.
 
After finishing the preliminary round on Thursday in second place, just .50 points behind Henderson State, NSU nudged ahead of the Reddies to claim the championship with a score of 85.625. HSU was second at 85.600 followed by Buena Vista at 82.875.
 
The last time NSU Pom won a national championship was in 1989 in Dallas, when the squad (then called the Majestics) defended their title from a year earlier.
 
This year's competition number consisted of the squad's pregame show to the NSU Fight Song, followed by a chant that segued into a dance routine. This is the first year NDA added the Spirit Rally category, which gave NSU Pom a chance to showcase their game-day routine.
 
Members of the squad who competed were Stella Aldridge, Reyd Foster, Lauren Frost, Katy Holcroft, Megan Kelley, Emma Lunsford, Kiera McMillin, Maggie Pendergraft, Hannah Perry, Taylor Rash, Allison Sells, Bailey Snellings, Maddie White, Brynn Winters, Presley Wise, and Sierra Yokley. NSU Pom is coached by Lauren Perez.