Taylor’s No. 15 competitive cheer squad wrapped up a historic season, solidifying its place as one of the most promising programs in the NAIA. In just its fifth year of existence, the team has already begun to make waves nationally, gaining recognition for their skill as evidenced through their scores.
“We get better and better every day,” said sophomore back spot Ryan Kalopisis. “Daily growth is something we really try and focus on.”
The squad kicked off their campaign on a high note, securing a second-place finish at the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcat Weekend, where they trailed the first-place team, No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan , by just 2.23 points. Following their success at Wildcat Weekend, Taylor earned a third-place finish at the Missouri Baptist Spartan Showcase, where they competed against nine other teams.
But the real turning point came when they traveled to Florida for the prestigious Florida Face-Off. There, the Trojans clinched the top spot for only the second time in program history, marking a huge milestone. They also set a new benchmark for themselves, scoring an all-time high of 90.40 in round two of the competition.
“I’ve never seen such insane, exponential growth,” said senior tumbler Eleanor Cooper. “I never know how we are going to top it, and then we top it.” This attitude of constant improvement was evident throughout the season as Taylor continued to rise to new challenges.
After Florida, the Trojans returned to Upland, Indiana to compete in the Trojan Invitational, where they earned a third-place finish out of six teams. Their performance included a first-round score of 84.20 and a second-round score of 87.23.
At their final regular season event of the year, the Taylor Classic, the Trojans secured first place with a score of 89.1, narrowly beating IWU, who posted a score of 89.03. The close finish underscored the team's growing strength and confidence as they attempted to approach the national stage.
“We’re getting our name out there and proving that Taylor can be a high-level team in the NAIA,” Kalopisis said.
Heading into the championships, Taylor and IWU were considered the favorites to take the top spots. While IWU ultimately came out on top with a score of 87.717, Taylor finished fourth with a score of 81.770, just behind No. 18 Marian and No. 22 St. Francis, who tied for second with scores of 81.992.
Cooper offered some insight into the team’s performance, explaining that the dip in score was partly due to the subjective nature of the judging system.
“Certain judges really like a lot of choreography, and our routine does have a lot of it,” Cooper said. “The judges at the Crossroads Championships said that we had too much going on. The judges in Florida liked it, the ones here didn’t.”
15 teams make the NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championships, nine conference champs and five at-large bids and the host of the competition. After not achieving an automatic qualifier through the Crossroads League, Taylor did not receive a bid and their season came to an end.
No. 15 Taylor, and No. 14 University of Pikeville just missed out on the final at-large bid behind No. 12 Missouri Valley College. With No. 16 Concordia taking the final slot due to their automatic host event, Taylor was just two places and less than 2 average points out of a NAIA qualifier.
Despite the bittersweet finish at the Crossroads League Championships, Taylor’s cheer squad has firmly established itself as a rising force in the NAIA. With record-breaking performances and a growing national reputation, the Trojans’ 2024 season was nothing short of historic.
