Boise State Spirit Squad lands two top-6 finishes at UCA College Nationals

The Boise State Spirit Squad performed exceptionally well at the 2022 UCA College Cheerleading National Championships from Jan. 13-16.

“Overall, I think the weekend went amazing for the team,” said senior cheer captain Sierra Semler. “We never let mistakes or the pressure get to us and went out on the floor for the four routines and really showed everyone who Boise State is.”

The team competed in the 1A GameDay division and the 1A Small Coed Division and received a top-6 finish in both competitions.

Boise State was the only Mountain West team to qualify for the finals in both competitions.

“My initial reaction when we found out we made finals in traditional was feeling prideful and happy,” Semler said. “It was the first time in history that we qualified for finals in this division and finding out we were top three made my heart so full. It was almost like a ‘we did it’ moment.”

The Broncos placed sixth out of 18 teams across the country competing in the D1A Game Day category. The team also had their highest finish in program history for this competition.

Boise State also placed fourth out of 11 teams competing in the D1A Small Coed category. This was the first time that the cheer team has qualified for finals in this category. 

The Broncos’ fourth place serves as the highest finish in program history at UCA College Nationals.

“The team felt great,” said spirit squad head coach Kelsey Messer. “They went there and did exactly what they set out to do. In August, they set a team goal to hit all of their routines and qualify for finals and they did just that. I am incredibly proud of each of those athletes and what they were able to accomplish at nationals.”