UPLAND, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University competitive cheer team finished the season with a third place finish out of seven teams at the Crossroads League Championship on Saturday, held at the University of Saint Francis. This is the highest finish in program history in the league for the Cougars.
 
The Cougars end their year never having earned lower than third place in a competition all season. Preliminary round counted for 25% of the overall score, and finals counted for 75% of the overall score.
 
In prelims Friday night, the Cougars took the mat last and had electrifying energy that woke up the crowd. The Cougars had been working hard on more difficult stunts and some new tumbling passes, and both were executed beautifully. The team had their best performance of the season and the results spoke for themselves, placing the Cougars in second with an 89.50, going into finals Saturday morning. The top three teams were all within two points of each other, in first was Indiana Wesleyan University (90.97) and Taylor University in third with an 89.02. Saint Francis (82.20) was in fourth while Bethel University, Marian University and Huntington University rounded out the field.
 
The Cougars knew another solid routine was critical to stay competitive in the powerhouse conference and were ready to go for finals. The finals performance had excellent energy, everything hit and tumbling was beautiful, but execution of group stunts was not as clean as the night before. The finals score came in at 89.28, with an overall score of 89.34. This would bring SAU into third place behind Crossroads League winner Taylor, with a final score of 90.63 earning them the automatic bid to the NAIA nationals, and Indiana Wesleyan with a final score of 90.24. Following was Saint Francis (82.91), Bethel (78.89), Marian (75.25) and Huntington (69.13).
 
Spring Arbor's success this season continued to shine at league finals, posting another Top 10 program record performance. The competition also showcased the highest difficulty stunts every thrown by a majority of groups, the program's first perfect 10.0 in jumps, and the first set of running fulls by freshman Brooklyn Kelly.
 
This is what senior Xandria Stephenson had to say about the competition, "It is such a blessing to be a part of this team. I am so proud of how hardworking this team was this season and how much Coach pushed us to do better every week. This weekend really proved how much we worked and improved this season from start to finish."
 
Senior Anna Edwards said, "This was a truly historic season for Spring Arbor Cheer. I knew at the beginning of the season it was going to be a good one because of all the talent on our team, but I didn't even dream of accomplishing the things we did this season. Our team is filled with hard-working athletes with a positive can-do attitude and that really pushed us this year. Our coaches are a big part of our team and help build our chemistry, and I think that our team bond is what really sets us apart from the pack. Continuously working all season for harder and harder skills and successfully attaining them and putting them on mat has been really motivating every week, especially with a new stunt and new tumbling skills for league finals, which were executed well and helped us score above 89 for prelims and finals. Seeing the growth of this team over the last four years has really been a wonder to watch and I am so proud of our program. I can't wait to see how it continues to thrive."
 
This is what cheer alum and current assistant coach, Nicole Conner (Clement) had to say about the competition, "I am beyond proud of this team! This has been a memorable and historic season! I am so thankful for the opportunity to still be a part of this program and to learn from one of the best Head Coaches around! The team brought energy, life and genuine joy to the mat this weekend and their performances were nothing short of incredible!"
 
Next up, the Cougars await the selection show on Monday, Mar. 16 for an outside shot for an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championship, held in Topeka, Kansas on March 26-27. The Cougars are currently ranked sixth in their ARC.
 
 
Crossroads League Championship
1. Taylor – 90.63
2. Indiana Wesleyan – 90.24
3. Spring Arbor – 89.34
4. Saint Francis – 82.91
5. Bethel – 78.89
6. Marian – 75.25
7. Huntington – 69.13
 

TOP 10 PROGRAM SCORES
1. 90.20 – Cougar Classic #2 (2026)
2. 89.34 – CL Championship (2026)
3. 88.20 – Wildcat Weekend Session #2 (2026)
4. 86.11 – Tiger Invite Round 1 (2026)
5. 84.20 – Taylor Invitational (2026)
6. 82.70 – Tiger Invite Round 2 (2026) 
7. 82.10 – Wildcat Weekend Session #1 (2026)
8. 80.85 – Trojan Invite (2024)
9. 80.65 – MVNU Invite #2 (2025)
10. 80.47 – Trojan Invite #2 (2025)