Scottsdale, AZ—The Notre Dame Prep cheer team placed first in the United Spirit Association National Championships held Feb. 24-26 in Anaheim, California.

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

After performing well in the preliminary round, they came out and performed flawlessly 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,” said senior Anika Krutzik. “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. “I’m so proud of these girls and how hard they worked for this title,” Mesker said. “They put in a lot of hours and I’m so grateful to see their work pay off,” she added. 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.

Notre Dame Preparatory is a diocesan Catholic High School, dedicated to the promotion of academic excellence, lifelong service to others, and the pursuit of holiness through the shared values of reverence, respect and responsibility. Located in Scottsdale, Notre Dame Prep has a co-ed enrollment of 925 students and has received local and national recognition for the caliber of its academic, arts and athletic programs. NDP students show their care for humanity by logging more than 21,000 service hours each year.