OGDEN, Utah — It's history in the making. The Weber State cheerleaders just captured their 7th national title and their first in a new, bigger classification.
"We were in the Division 1A category for the first time in history," Weber State Spirit Squad advisor Summer Willis told FOX 13 News on Tuesday, just after getting back from the competition in Daytona, Florida. "And for a small FCS school to go into that category – we just wanted to represent our university and our program well and we did jut that. It was really exciting."
Elsa Hassett, a Weber State senior from Saratoga Springs, stayed in Florida afterward to compete with the USA National squad.
"It has been so incredible. I just can’t even believe it. We definitely went through some adversity, you know, within the team and with the winter that we had. Usually, we like to practice outside before we head to Daytona because the competition’s outside, but we didn't have that chance," Hassett said.
She says it only made the win that much sweeter.
"It was just the best feeling ever — ever!" she said.
Hassett and her teammate Michael Adrosov even took the national title in the partner stunt.
"Unbelievable. Unbelievable really. It was just so crazy!" Hassett said.
The squad nailed their group routine Saturday with zero deductions, and beat out much bigger schools like Louisville, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Clemson to win something called the Grand National Championship in the large co-ed division.
Their coach showed off her growing trophy collection in her office on the Ogden campus.
"This is the lineup. Our large co-ed team has won seven national titles — the last six in a row," Willis said.
For Willis, this is just adding to the large family legacy she already has at Weber State where both her parents attended. Her father played sports at the college, her mom was a cheerleader, and her grandfather is where the Wildcat mascot name came from.
"That is Wallace the Wildcat. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for how the Wildcats got their name. He was a mean left tackle on the football team back in the 20s," Willis explained. "At the time they were called the Weberites and he was really fierce, so the press started calling him Wally the Wildcat, and it picked up and that’s how the Wildcats got their name."
She says with or without the added trophy, she couldn't be prouder of the amazing athletes she's worked with this past year, and how they came together to compete this past weekend in Florida.
"Honestly if you do it how you want to do it, if you don’t end up with the trophy at the end of the day but you did everything that you could and performed how you wanted to perform, that’s a win," Willis said. "So to get that win and then get the trophy, too? That's coming full circle. Just a dream come true. To have the best team in the nation is just really amazing for Utah and for our community."
