News Release
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Where the Wildcats Win
WilmU teams are champions in cheerleading, golf, baseball, and cross-country
Wilmington University's cheerleaders have captured the Universal Cheerleading Association's Small Coed Division II National Championship for the seventh straight year, a victory the school celebrated Tuesday afternoon with cake and ice cream at the New Castle campus's Pratt Student Center.
"Our seven-time champions are extraordinary student-athletes and excellent ambassadors for the university, both in the community and on the national stage," said Dr. Tina Barksdale, WilmU's vice president for student affairs and alumni relations, who introduced the team and thanked head coach Ashley Mundy before screening a video of their winning performance. "In addition to being talented cheerleaders, they also excel in the classroom. The team GPA is around 3.0. We are so proud of them."
At the championship, which took place on January 13 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, the Wildcat cheerleaders placed among the top six teams after preliminary judging. Performing their routine again in the final round, they bested Drury University, Kutztown University, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, San Francisco State University, and St. Edward's University to claim victory.
"Winning a national championship with this team has been special," said Mundy. "We faced challenges leading up to the championship, and even injuries and illness while we were there, but the team stuck together. The cheerleaders trusted the coaching staff, kept their sights on the goal and, most importantly, trusted each other. Everything came together at the right time."
"Today's event was much more than a celebration of the victory in Orlando," said Bevin Hileman, Dr. Barksdale's assistant. "It was a culmination of the dedication and perseverance the team and coaches have embodied, not only on the mat, but in their coursework. Their commitment to community service and representing the university has been paramount and invaluable to us."
They're not the first champions the Wildcats have fielded in recent years. The university's golf, baseball, and cross country teams have also shown their effectiveness in climbing conference and divisional rankings.
In October 2017, WilmU's golfers won their eighth consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship, an accomplishment that is believed to be the longest championship streak in CACC history. WilmU's five competitors in the match all placed among its top eight players, and the win clinched the team CACC's spot in the 2018 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Super Regional Tournament, scheduled for May.
The year before, the golf team finished among the top eight in the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the first time in program history, and in 2012 it captured the first regional championship in WilmU athletics history with a NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Super Regional win.
The baseball team's May 2015 victory in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament — its first ever regional championship — earned it a trip to the NCAA's Division II National Tournament.
In cross-country, the men's team took the top five finishes in the 2013 CACC Championship, which was believed to be the first time in conference history that one team swept the top of the results sheet. The team finished third that year in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament, winning its first trip to the division's national championship.
In addition, WilmU has hosted 22 All-Americans since the start of the 2010-11 academic year, and six Academic All-Americans have been recognized for their achievements in the classroom as well as on the field since 2011.
About Wilmington University
Wilmington University is a private, non-profit institution committed to providing career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. The Wilmington University difference starts with our flexible, year-round class schedules, full online learning capabilities, and one of the lowest tuitions in the tri-state region. Combined with our intense focus on academic excellence and individualized attention to our students in our degree and certificate programs, the WilmU difference is reflected in our students' achievements and our alumni's successes. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit www.wilmu.edu.
