Going into the tournament, the cheerleading team had one goal.
“Our main goal was to strive for the best,” Jacobs said. “Our team has worked so hard and so long.”
“We work very hard, and we deserve this opportunity to win.”
Jamarsa Peters hit the nail right on the head as the GSU cheerleading squad finished in sixth place in the Cheer I division at the NCA cheerleading competition, which was held in Daytona, Fla., April 6-10.
With this reward, the cheerleading squad can easily say they are one of the best in the nation.
Even students were awaiting the results of the competition.
“A lot of people have been asking us about how we did at nationals,” Altrese Jacobs said. “They knew what we were trying to do and how we were trying to rep GSU.”
“The competition was fierce,” said Jacobs, who is also Miss Black and Gold. “There were a lot of schools from all over the nation. They were all qualified to make it to the finals.”
In the end, it was Grambling that came out at the top of the standings. Stephen F. Austin University came in first place, followed by Wichita State and Northeastern State of Boston. Also ranked high were the Charlotte 49ers and University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
“We went there and focused on what we needed to do and strived for the best.”
The competition was very close, and the squad almost got eliminated.
“After we first competed, we were actually in third,” Jacobs explained. “Then, two other squads competed and bumped us down to fifth place.”
“The last squad competed and their score was lower. We bumped them out of the running.”
“It was all good.”
GSU was scheduled to perform at 2:01 on Thursday, April 7. The squad was behind notable universities, such as Virginia Tech, Clemson, University of Michigan, and Indiana State. However, this did not faze the determined GSU squad.
“We always give it 110%,” sophomore Steven Long said in an earlier interview. “We have been working out for three months since January, and it?s an honor to represent Grambling.”
Notable universities behind GSU were Oklahoma State, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, University of Missouri, Bowling Green, and University of Oklahoma. Being ranked above these talented squads was a hard-earned reward.
“We were all excited and ecstatic,” Jacobs said. “We were screaming and celebrating.”
The cheerleading squad was also the only scheduled university to represent Louisiana.
“We would like to thank everyone in Grambling and Ruston,” Jacobs said. “It’s been a long time since Grambling has gone to nationals and made it to the finals.
“Thank you everyone for cheering us on.”