2024 Nfinity Competitive Cheer National Championship Qualifiers Announced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the 15 qualifying teams for the 2024 Nfinity Competitive Cheer National Championship, held at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. The 8th annual event, hosted by the Ann Arbor Sports Commission in Ypsilanti, Mich., runs from March 29th - 30th.
The field includes eight automatic qualifiers and seven at-large bids. The automatic qualifiers are determined by the winners of the conference qualifying tournaments which were won by Concordia (Mich.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Indiana Wesleyan, Missouri Valley, Northwestern (Iowa), Oklahoma City, Saint Mary (Kan.), and Tennessee Southern.
The seven at-large selections this year are Dickinson State (N.D.), Georgetown (Ky.), Florida Memorial, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Midland (Neb.), reigning NAIA National Champions St. Ambrose (Iowa), and Xavier (La.).
The Lions of Florida Memorial, the Red Raiders of Northwestern (Iowa), and the Spires of Saint Mary (Kan.) are into the field for the first time in program history. Twelve of the 15 teams who reached the championship this season also competed in the event last year.
In NAIA Competitive Cheer history, five teams have combined to win the six titles. Oklahoma City has the most with two followed by Concordia (Mich.), Missouri Valley, St. Ambrose (Iowa), and Xavier (La.) with one each.
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. These four teams have combined for five second place, four third place, three fourth, and three fifth place finishes.
| Institution | Qualification | Appearances | Last Time | Titles |
| Concordia (Mich.) | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | 8 | 2023 | 1 |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | 5 | 2023 | 0 |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) | At-Large | 3 | 2023 | 0 |
| Georgetown (Ky.) | At-Large | 4 | 2023 | 0 |
| Florida Memorial | At-Large | 1 | - | - |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League | 8 | 2023 | 0 |
| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | At-Large | 3 | 2023 | 0 |
| Midland (Neb.) | At-Large | 6 | 2023 | 0 |
| Missouri Valley | Heart of America Athletic Conference | 8 | 2023 | 1 |
| Northwestern (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | 1 | - | - |
| Oklahoma City | American Midwest/Sooner Athletic Conferences | 8 | 2023 | 2 |
| Saint Mary (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | 1 | - | - |
| St. Ambrose (Iowa) | At-Large | 8 | 2023 | 1 |
| Tennessee Southern | Southern States Athletic Conference | 4 | 2023 | 0 |
| Xavier (La.) | At-Large | 4 | 2023 | 1 |
The order of competition for the Preliminary Rounds will be announced Wednesday, March 20th on NAIA.org.
Teams at the Competitive Cheer and Dance National Championships will be competing on a level playing field as regular season and qualifier scores are not taken into consideration during the championships. The NAIA is the only athletics association to offer a national championship in this sport.
For more information on the 2024 Nfinity NAIA Competitive Cheer and Dance Championships, Click HERE.
