April 4, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue cheerleading squad finished in fourth place in preliminaries in the National Cheerleaders Association national competition in Dayton Beach, Fla., on Thursday.
On Friday, the squad moves on to the finals, which will be televised on Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m. on CBS. Ten teams from the original field of 17 advance to the finals.
Cheer coach Sue Bayley termed the routine "nearly flawless" and said she is confident the cheerleaders can match the performance on Friday in the finals.
"The hard work really paid off," said Bayley, a Purdue alumna and former cheerleader. "They are so proud of their performance, and I'm so proud of them.
"They performed to the absolute best of their abilities."
In 2000, Purdue finished third in the finals and last year finished fifth.
Other top preliminary finishers were Louisville in first, and North Texas State and Texas Tech tied for second.