April 7, 2003
Daytona Beach, Fla. - The UIC cheerleading squad made history even before its arrival at the National Cheerleading Association National Championships this past weekend, but the Flames excelled once they arrived in Daytona Beach to bring home a top-five tally.
Coached by Randy Santiago, the UIC cheer team qualified for the small school, co-ed national competition through studio taping for the first time in school history. On Thursday, the Flames jumped on their opportunity and took fifth-place on day one, which qualified then for the finals on Friday.
13 of the 24 teams invited qualified for the finals and UIC made the most of their appearance. The Flames came through and finished in fourth-place behind Houston, who won the title two years ago, Charlotte, the defending national champion and perennial power Florida Atlantic. Following UIC, San Diego State rounded out the top-five.
