April 10, 2000
The Purdue cheerleaders placed third at the National Cheerleader's Association National Championships held April 5-9 in Daytona Beach. This was the fifth year the cheerleaders have competed for the National Championship and the second highest finish ever for a Big Ten team and the highest for a Purdue squad. Thirty-eight Division I teams were invited and 16 accepted bids-a process that began with camps held around the country last summer.
During the preliminary competition the Boilers performed their competition routine as well as 45 seconds of crowd-oriented material. Purdue had the highest crowd score average, which carried over into the finals. After the preliminary competition, Purdue was tied for second with the University of North Texas with a score of 8.43. The University of Louisville, an eight-time national champion, held the number one spot with a score of 8.46. During the finals, Purdue and Oklahoma finished with identical scores of 8.49. North Texas finished with an 8.60 and Louisville had an 8.52.
CBS Sports will be televising the championships at 1 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, April 15. The Purdue squad's entire routine during the finals will be shown as well as the other top five finishers in Division I cheer and dance. The Top 10 teams in order of finish:
1. North Texas
2. Louisville
3. Purdue
Oklahoma
5. Texas Tech
6. Oklahoma State
7. Central Michigan
8. Georgia Tech
9. North Carolina
10. Clemson