4:16 p.m., Jan. 25, 2008--UD's spirit teams--cheerleaders, dance team and mascots--stood out as some of the most talented in the nation in the 2007 United Cheerleading Association and Universal Dance Association National Championships held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 18-20. Two members of the UD cheerleading team took first place in the coed partner stunt division.

At this year's event, the UD cheerleading team's Gillian Guadagnino, a junior from Brooklyn, and Seth Riblett, a senior from Newark, won a national title by winning first place in the coed partner stunt category, opening the weekend with a set of challenging stunts that reportedly left the audience in amazement. The Delaware stunt couples continued to make history with Julie Weiss, a sophomore from Hatfield, Pa., and Bill Mayo, a graduate student from Springfield, Pa., taking the second-place prize, and Stephanie Tucker, a senior from Baltimore, and her partner Ben Schreiber, a student from Newark, placing fourth. This outstanding accomplishment is the first of its kind by any squad in the country.

The UD cheerleaders placed second in the Division-1 category for the second year running.

Andy Brown, head cheerleading coach, said he could not be more proud of his team and its accomplishments this year. “This incredible group of 16 athletes, through their sweat, tears and innumerable hours in the gym hit their routine with amazing perfection,” Brown said.

UD's dance team placed fifth in the nation in the Division-1 Hip-hop routines and tied for ninth place in the Division-1 Jazz category. Brown said the dance team, led by head coach Nicole K. Daliessio-Zehnder, performed with creativity and choreography that captivated the crowd.

“With unshakable character, attitude and courage [the spirit teams] competed against some of the most talented college teams in the country, and when the dust settled and the scores were in, the University of Delaware came out not only as true champions, but achieved greatness on many different levels,” Brown said.

YouDee placed fifth in the nation in the mascot competition for his “iPod routine,” which evoked waves of laughter from the audience. Sharon Harris, assistant director of public relations and mascot coordinator, said she is especially proud of the mascot team's skit this year for its creative nature and appeal to the audience.

“The mascot team spends countless hours--every free minute they have when they're not in class or at work--to practice for Nationals,” Harris said. “The team creates the skit themselves. We always present family-oriented entertainment, and the audience loved it.”

The United Cheerleading Association and Universal Dance Association's national competition, one of the most prestigious national spirit championships in the country, is shown on ESPN and ESPN2 to more than 90 million homes each year. More than 22,000 cheerleaders and 5,500 dancers compete to get to the national competition with more than 25,000 spectators in attendance to show their support.

Video clips of all the competitors are online at [www.varsity.com].

Article by Sarah Lipman, AS '08
Photo by Kathy Atkinson