DECATUR, Ala. – It was a great Saturday in Alabama for XULA Cheer, as the Gold took home a title befitting their name - first place and a conference title at the SSAC Competitive Cheer Championship. 

The Gold set a new high-score mark for the SSAC along the way. To view photos of XULA's big day, visit the SSAC's official SmugMug account. 

Xavier's composite score of 97.95 was almost 8 points higher than runner-up Florida Memorial, which scored 90.03. Indeed, the Gold's showing was so … well … golden that their performance was four points higher than the 2025 SSAC champs, which at the time was the highest score ever achieved in the SSAC Championship. 

This marks Xavier's first SSAC crown since 2021. Five different SSAC teams have won the title over the past six seasons. The previous high score for a champion was set last season by Florida Memorial (93.91).

Xavier earns an automatic bid to the 2026 NAIA Competitive Cheer Championship, which takes place March 27-28 in Topeka, Kansas. The full field of that competition will be announced on March 16.

As should be expected, Xavier was well represented in the postseason awards, which were announced on Saturday. 

Head coach Glenn Caston was named Coach of the Year, while Caleb Merckson earned Tumbler of the Year honors, and Nicholas Taylor was named Rookie of the Year. 

Tennessee Southern (89.99), the University of Mobile (89.62), and Brewton Parker (86.42) rounded out the top 5.