TOPEKA, Kansas - XULA Cheer showed it was ready to compete with the top teams in the nation Friday during the preliminary round of the NAIA National Cheer Championship.

Xavier put up a 91.58, which placed the team in 4th place among 15 teams and well within striking distance of first place. 

St. Ambrose (Iowa) had the highest preliminary-round score with a 93.42, with Oklahoma City placing second with a 92.92 and Indiana Wesleyan third with a 91.88. 

XULA has several positives to take away from Day 1. The team is more than capable of improving upon their score. They put up a 97.95 to win the Southern States Athletic Conference crown earlier this month. 

Moreover, just four teams scored more than 90 points in the preliminary round, meaning Xavier has already proven it is among the upper echelon of cheer teams in the nation. 

The full results from Day 1 are available on the NAIA website. 

The championship concludes Saturday morning with each team performing its second routine, beginning at 10 a.m.. XULA will perform 12th with the third-, second-, and first-place teams to follow.