Millard West brings home another national cheer title

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Some things never get old, like celebrating another national cheerleading title.

“It was a lot of fun, I just enjoyed being there with my teammates,” Millard West High School senior Isabelle Daly said. “It was an amazing experience.”

Isabelle and her teammates arrived at Eppley Airfield Tuesday afternoon to a heroes welcome, as several dozen family members and friends greeted them upon their return home from Orlando.

In 2023, 1,125 high schools qualified in regional cheerleading competitions to earn a spot in the UCA National High School Championship at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida. Millard North High School and Elkhorn South High School also competed.

Head coach Stefani Lane said Millard West won the small varsity, non-building division title. That division includes cheer routines but no building blocks, such as pyramids. It was their 12th national championship at UCA. They also narrowly missed a second title, coming in a close second in the non-building, game day division, which included interaction with the crowd and exemplifies efforts fans might see during a game.

The squad that traveled to Florida featured four freshmen, six sophomores, seven juniors and only three seniors.

“This group of girls is amazing, every single one of them has a different personality,” senior Avery Cutler said. “Its amazing how all of us can just get so comfortable together in one place and have a blast, everybody is so fun and so sweet.”

“This team has a really great bond this year,” senior Camryn Wallace said. “We all get along super well, we all can joke, we all can work hard together, encourage each other on and off the mat, so it’s a really good group of girls. I wouldn’t want to win this with anyone else for sure.”

Even though winning has become a somewhat expected outcome, Lane said they do not take the national championship trophy lightly. She said the work is far from done for this squad. Next weekend they compete in the Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Championships in Grand Island, where they are a perfect 25-0 over the years.

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