The Notre Dame Prep cheer team placed first in the United Spirit Association National Championships held Feb. 24–26 in Anaheim, Calif.

The Saints cheer team won the category of Large Varsity Show Cheer Intermediate against highly competitive teams from Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada and California, according to a press release.

After performing well in the preliminary round, they came out and performed in the final round to earn enough combined points for the championship.

“I’ve been in cheer my whole life, and this is the best team I’ve ever been on,” senior Anika Krutzik said in the release. “Winning nationals was a surreal feeling and I’m so happy for this team.”

This season was the first for NDP’s newest cheer coach Lauren Mesker, and she couldn’t imagine getting off to a better start, the release stated.

“I’m so proud of these girls and how hard they worked for this title,” Mesker said in the release. “They put in a lot of hours and I’m so grateful to see their work pay off.”

Mesker also coaches the Saints varsity softball team.

The cheer team wasn’t the only NDP team in the competition, the pom team placed 10th in Advanced Medium Pom and 5th in Advanced Small Jazz.

“We are so proud of both of our pom and cheer teams for earning these high honors,” Mesker said.