University of Memphis Athletics
Tiger Spirit Squads Earn Two National Championships
Jan 20, 2008 | Spirit Squad
Jan. 20, 2008
ORLANDO, FLA. - The University of Memphis picked up two National Championships this weekend at the 2008 College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship competition hosted in Orlando, Fla., at Disney's Wide World of Sports Resort.
The U of M took home its second National title in the All-Girls division on Saturday. The squad beat out Morehead State and San Diego State for top honors. Indiana and USF rounded out the top 5 in that division. The all-girls squad made its debut at the U of M in 2001-02 and earned its first National title in 2004.
The dance team earned its second consecutive National Championship in the Hip Hop division on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers beat out Cincinnati, UNLV, LSU and Tennessee in garnering their 12th overall National title. This is the first time in school history that Memphis has taken top honors in two of the three divisions of co-ed cheer, all-girls cheer and dance team. The dance team won consecutive championships from 1986-1994 and also took top honors in 2000 and 2007.
Memphis' co-ed cheerleading team placed fourth in the I-A Cheer division. They finished behind Kentucky, Tennessee and UCF. Alabama and LSU ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.
The Memphis spirit squads are coached by Frankie Conklin and Carol Lloyd, and consist of a varsity co-ed squad (6-8 male and 6-8 female members); a varsity all-girls squad (20-22 female members), a dance team (24 female students) and the Tiger mascot, Pouncer.
