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Courtesy: Jaime Crawford
Courtesy: Jaime Crawford
March 30, 2024

St. Ambrose (Iowa) Claims Back-To-Back Red Banners

The Bees bested their own championship record score.

YPSILANTI, Mich. – St. Ambrose (Iowa) is the winner of the Battle For The Red Banner, for the second straight year at the 2024 Nfinity NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championship hosted by the Ann Arbor Sports Commission.  The 8th annual event concluded Saturday evening inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan. 

Finals Performance Highlights

  • St. Ambrose (Iowa) wins its second straight Red Banner after one runner-up finish and twice in third. 
  • The Bees bested their own record for the highest score in the championship, raising it by 1.77 points. 
  • Xavier (La.) leaped over Oklahoma City to grab second place during their final performance, with the Stars finishing third. 
  • Hometown Concordia (Mich.) and Dickinson State (N.D.) and claimed fourth and fifth respectively. 
  • In total, five teams scored in the 90's while the other 10 were over 82 points.
  • Cumberlands (Ky.), Georgetown (Ky.), Missouri Valley, Northwestern (Iowa), Saint Mary (Kan.) and Xavier (La.) did not receive any deductions.
  • All 15 teams finished with team scores above 82 points, a first in the history of the NAIA Cheer National Championship.
  • Florida Memorial and Saint Mary (Kan.) made their NAIA nationals debut, the only two teams in the field to do so.
  • Thirteen of the 15 teams who reached the championship this season also competed in the event last year. 
  • Concordia (Mich.), Indiana Wesleyan, Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, and St. Ambrose (Iowa) have qualified for the championship each season the NAIA has hosted the competition. 
  • Saturday's Final Round was 75% of the total team score.

Final Combined Team Standings

 1. St. Ambrose (Iowa) — 97.28
 2. Xavier (La.) — 96.91
 3. Oklahoma City — 95.91
 4. Concordia (Mich.) — 91.73
 5. Dickinson State (N.D.) — 91.06
 6. Northwestern (Iowa) — 88.55
 7. Missouri Valley — 88.46
 8. Florida Memorial — 87.95
 9. Saint Mary (Kan.) — 87.78
10. Cumberlands (Ky.) — 86.75
11. Tennessee Southern — 86.00
12. Indiana Wesleyan — 85.08
13. Georgetown (Ky.) — 84.70
14. Midland (Neb.) — 83.04
15. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) — 82.33