DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Elmira College cheerleading team returned to the top of the national competition spotlight on Friday afternoon as the Soaring Eagles captured the program's third national championship at the 2022 National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) College Nationals at the Band Shell in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Competing in the Advanced Small Coed Division against other NCAA Division III programs, Elmira recorded a performance score of 86.6574 in the preliminary round on Thursday. The Soaring Eagles were ranked second after the prelims with Rochester Institute of Technology recording a performance score of 86.8333.
The Soaring Eagles improved their performance score during the finals portion of the competition as judges delivered a score of 87.7963 to raise Elmira's event score to 87.5116. EC received a point reduction of just 0.5 after being deducted 1.75 points during prelims on Thursday.
RIT would place second in the division after recording a performance score of 85.1019 during the finals to bring its overall event score to 85.5348. SUNY New Paltz placed third with a finals performance score of 79.0648 and an overall event score of 79.7037.
Elmira adds to its national championships after capturing first-place honors in 2000 and 2007. The Soaring Eagles, who finished as the national runner-up last year, have placed in the top four every year since 2014.
Finals
| Rank |
Program Name |
Raw Score |
Deductions |
Performance Score |
Event Score |
| 1 |
Elmira College |
79.4667 |
0.5 |
87.7963 |
87.5116 |
| 2 |
Rochester Institute of Technology |
78.1667 |
1.75 |
85.1019 |
85.5348 |
| 3 |
SUNY College at New Paltz |
74.5333 |
3.75 |
79.0648 |
79.7037 |
Prelims
| Rank |
Program Name |
Raw Score |
Deductions |
Performance Score |
| 1 |
Rochester Institute of Technology |
78.6 |
0.5 |
86.8333 |
| 2 |
Elmira College |
79.5667 |
1.75 |
86.6574 |
| 3 |
SUNY College at New Paltz |
75.0333 |
1.75 |
81.6204 |
