MSU Spirit Squad takes home two national titles

Contact: Mary Pollitz

STARKVILLE, Miss.—In just its second year competing at the National Cheerleaders Association competition, two Mississippi State Spirit Squads were crowned national champions in Daytona, Florida, this month.

After more than 80 MSU athletes competed as teams in the competition, MSU was crowned the national champion in the Small Coed Intermediate D1A and Spirit Rally D1A divisions during the NCA competition. The Small Coed routine is a traditional competition team comprised of four male cheerleaders and 16 females, while the Spirit Rally team performed a game-day style performance.

Tiffany Fettinger, MSU director of spirit and fan engagement, said the spirit squads had two third-place finishes last year, prompting the team to work non-stop to achieve a higher ranking in this year’s competition.

“Over the last year, we have worked tirelessly to push the bar and raise the standards in our program to bring these national titles home to Starkville,” she said. “While we love the sidelines and will always support our Dawgs on their playing fields, having the opportunity to perform on ‘our field’ is what will continue to take our program to the next level.”

The university’s dance team also competed for the first time at the National Dance Association and placed second, while the all-girl cheer team placed sixth.

“Two years ago, this was a dream. Now, we have two national titles returning to our little slice of heaven and bringing this positive attention back to a place we all love so much,” Fettinger said. “Competition builds so much character and truly shapes their college cheer and dance experience in such a different way.”

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