LIVONIA, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University competitive cheer team traveled to Madonna University to compete in a four-team faceoff against Lourdes University, Rochester Christian University and the host team Madonna.

Spring Arbor was first in the lineup to compete Saturday morning. In warmups, the Cougars looked great, keeping the energy up even after a 20-minute delay due to a situation with the judges. When the team was finally able to perform, the lady Cougars threw two solid tuck X- Out baskets, hit two flawless pyramids, executed good tumbling and showed lots of energy in the dance. Unfortunately, one group had some issues with their group stunts and one layout touched down, resulting in a total deduction of 1.25 points.

When the scores came back, the coaches were not thrilled with what they received. It was apparent that going first in the lineup and inexperienced judging led to some scores that were lower than what was expected. Despite throwing a clean routine with great energy the team ended up placing fourth with a score of 68.55.

Head coach Hannah Philson had this to say about the competition, "I am pleased with the performance that our team put out today. We showed improvement from last week and did our job, unfortunately that did not translate into the scores we received. This is a tough sport in that respect, as the opinions of the judges are the only thing that many choose to judge our successes on. I am choosing to focus on the merits of our performance, and we are looking forward to showing a different panel of judges what we can do on Saturday at home."

Here is how two of our athletes reflected on the day:

Senior, Cathrine Govier, shared, "I thought that despite the challenges and delays of the event, our team performed well! I am so proud of our performance regardless of the scores and I am excited to continue to improve and perform. I can't wait for next where we get to display our talent at home!"

Sophomore, Genevieve Cook, shared, "For me and my stunt group that was our best performance so far this year, and even re-watching the video of our performance to see how everyone else performed, it still is probably the best we've done so far this season. Our pyramid looked the best it ever has, and the majority of group stunts hit well with just a bobble or two. It was disappointing to come off the mat knowing that even with a really good performance, the scores did not match what we expected."
Next up, the competitive cheer team is at home on Saturday, Feb. 15.

 
Madonna Madness
1. Lourdes University – 82.95
2. Rochester Christian – 72.90
3. Madonna University – 70.50
4. Spring Arbor – 68.55
 

TOP-10 PROGRAM SCORES
1. 80.85 – Taylor University (2024)
2. 80.65 – MVNU Invite #2 (2025)
3. 78.9 – MVNU Invite #1 (2025)
4. 78.33 – Wildcat Invite 1 (2024)
5. 78.20 – Cougar Classic #2 (2024)
6. 77.96 – 2024 Crossroads League Championships (2024)
7. 76.17 – Cardinal Invite (2022)
8. 74.80 – Wildcat Invite (2022)
9. 74.60 – 2023 Crossroads League Championships (2023)
10. 74.55 – Wildcat Invite 3 (2023)