Life Duals team scores
Life Classic team scores
MARIETTA, Ga. —
The defending champion looked the part on opening day.
Xavier University of Louisiana,
the 2022 NAIA Cheer National Championships winner, launched its 2023 season
with first-place finishes in the Life University Duals and the Life Classic.
The Gold finished 10-0 overall Sunday, giving XULA a 43-0 record against all opponents since the start
of last season.
XULA scored 93.73 points out of 100 to win the Life Duals — Point was second at 85.33 —
then got another victory in the Life Classic with 93.08 points. Mobile was second in that event at 85.81.
There were six schools in each event.
On Coach Glenn Caston's roster this season are
Kendall Baggett,
Kennedy Baggett,
Syre Baker,
Kaitlyn Banks,
Tia Barrett,
Samantha Benton, Kamari Blanding, Lauren Bradfield,
Gabrielle Brightmon,
Hailie Brown,
Amiyah Chapman,
Madison Clay,
Britney Dixon,
Kennedy Dunlap,
Liyah Galbert,
Angel Grant,
Alyssa Hoey,
Kalenea Holt, Chase Hubbard, Cornilus Loyd,
Kendall Murff,
Tiffany Numa,
Laila Pryor,
Teddie Reid, Cyrus Riddle, Carolyn Scruggs-Webster, Kirstin Shears, Laila Terry,
Christian Tolbert,
Kaleb Trimmer,
Antonio Underwood and
Kelsey White.
"We had a lot of nerves coming into Sunday," Caston said.
"We had to get the nerves out and get comfortable performing in front of a crowd. We still need to improve
on our pyramid skills. Overall, we have a lot of work to do."
Kennedy Baggett, Baker, Banks, Barrett, Brightmon, Brown, Chapman, Clay, Dixon, Dunlap, Hoey, Holt,
Reid, Trimmer, Underwood and White traveled to nationals last season when the Gold
set a meet record for highest winning score and earned the XULA's first-ever NAIA national team championship in any sport.
Caston praised Underwood and Barrett.
"
Antonio Underwood was an alternate last season and never got on the floor," Caston said.
"Today he was on the floor, focused and locked in. He helped us get a successful routine."
Caston said Barrett "was phenomenal in the performances and with the specialty tumbling pass."
Forty-one NAIA schools have competed thus far,
and XULA's scores vaulted it to No. 1 in average points per meet this season with 93.41. Midland is second with 91.60,
Dickinson State is third with 86.96, and 2021 champion Oklahoma City is fourth with 86.75.
Indiana Wesleyan, the 2022 runner-up, is 14th at 80.17.
"We don't feed off rankings," Caston said. "We work to try to be a better version
of ourself than we were the previous competition. The most important rankings are the ones at nationals. We
want to continue to work hard and produce a good, quality routine that will score well at nationals."
Next for XULA: three days of competition on campus
at the Convocation Center — the second annual Battle in the Big Easy Feb. 9-10,
then the NAIA Unaffiliated Group Championship Feb. 11, where XULA will attempt to qualify for
a third consecutive trip to nationals.
NAIA nationals will be March 10-11 at Ypsilianti, Mich.
