Topeka, Kan.—Spire Cheer battled for the Red Banner this weekend at the Stormont Vail Event Center in Topeka, Kansas this weekend at the 10^th annual Competitive Cheer and Dance National Championships.

The USM squad under the direction of Andrea Hinson, Harrison Whitney, and Kadilynn Kelley, opened up the preliminary round yesterday evening with a strong overall showing in their comp routine. The Spires finished Friday night sitting in 11^th overall out of fifteen competing national teams, setting the stage for their final performance Saturday morning. USM's performance in prelims was scored with an overall effect tally of 9.23 and a subtotal of 82.98 to go along with zero deductions against the Spires, giving them a preliminary final in night one of 82.98 points. This placement earned them a 10:40 a.m. finals slot this morning for the last outing of the 2025-26 season.

The Spires were ready to give it their all this morning and left it all on the mats. USM would earn a final overall score of 82.46 total points to bring home a final national placing of 12^th overall. Coach Hinson raved about the efforts of her squad this season exclaiming, "We are proud to have represented our school at NAIA Cheer Nationals. It's an honor to be recognized as one of the top teams in the nation. I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication this team has shown all year."

The University of Saint Mary is extremely proud of USM cheer for their third straight KCAC Championship and their exceptional 12^th place finish on the national stage.