HISTORY MAKERS

By Brandon Petersen

Westcliff Cheerleading is five years old.

That's infancy when compared to teams Westcliff routinely competes against – and beats – on an annual basis.

The Warriors became National Cheerleaders Association National Champions in just their second year of NCA competition.

Last weekend, the program turned in another incredible first, something no other NAIA program has done in 85 years.

Stunt Partners Rheanna Shah and Christian Manzo competed in the NCA Collegiate National qualifier through their video submission and were up against the most talented pairs in all of college cheerleading, including NCAA Division I.

Not only did Shah and Manzo become the first NAIA pair to ever qualify for the championship, but they also finished 19^th overall in the country.

"(The NCA) usually receives over 100 videos from all over the country from schools like Kentucky, Texas Tech, Morehead State, Weber State, Purdue, Florida State," Westcliff head coach Eric Anderson said. "I don't believe there were any video submissions in the Partner Stunt Category from any other NAIA program.

"Only the Top 20 couples qualified to compete at the College National Championships in Daytona, Florida in April."

Anderson describes Shah and Manzo as very talented and extremely athletic. Both are NCA All Americans, regardless of division.

"Here at Westcliff, we train like Division I teams," Anderson, who came to Westcliff from Long Beach State, said. "So, I'm not surprised at all. My biggest challenge with them is getting them to believe in themselves and accept that they are that good."

That could be a popular refrain in the Cheer program, which has always competed at the highest levels, yet carries itself humbly and happily with a first-rate group of team-first athletes.

Anderson says the vibe around the team this year has been one of quiet confidence.

"We have a lot of talent, and we return a lot of veterans form last year who are hungry to get the national title back," Anderson said. "We also have some very talented rookies and our challenge is getting them up to speed with collegiate competitive cheerleading."

Anderson says the Warriors are the team to beat at nationals this year.

"Their destiny is in their hands," he said. "If we stay mentally focused and trust the process, we are going to be amazing."

The team at large also competed last weekend, live in Riverside.

Competing in front of over 2,500 CIF cheerleaders, the event was held at the Riverside Convention Center and the Warriors debuted their national championship routine for the first time.

There were some nerves heading in, as the routine is decidedly more difficult than last year's.

There were also a few minor hiccups, but overall, Anderson was very pleased with what he saw on the mat.

"We had some slight errors but that was to be expected this early in the season," he said. "Overall, we did very well. The crowd went wild for them. I was really impressed with our performance because this year our routine is a lot more difficult, but they are handling it well."

This weekend, the Warriors will compete at the USA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships, Saturday and Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

On Saturday, the Warriors will compete at both the stunt partner, and team division levels.

Three performance times are scheduled for the Warriors.

For the Stunt Pairs, Westcliff competes at 7:28 p.m. and 7:33 p.m.

The entire team competes at 9:42 p.m.

"I have to constantly remind myself that Westcliff Cheerleading is a very young program," Anderson said. "We have accomplished so much in a short amount of time. We are competing among programs with decades and decades of traditions, with experience at the national level – not only are we competing with them, we are beating them.

"So, with all the accomplishments, achievements and wins, we need to step back, take it in, and appreciate it. But not for too long, because we need to reload for the next competition!"