Longwood’s varsity cheeleaders failed to successfully defend their national championship but won a Specialty Award for having the Best Pyramid among 52 teams from across the country last Friday at the U.S. finals sponsored by the International Cheerleading Association in Nashville, Tenn.. DuPont (La.) Manual won the overall crown.
Longwood’s JV, coached by Debbie Lang, finished second behind Hewitt-Trussville, Ala., among 18 competitors.
According to Longwood varsity coach Donna Beary-Greiner, both the varsity and JV teams received some consolation when the judges awarded them the honor of displaying the Best Pyramids in the competition. The coach particularly praised varsity mounter Julie Malesko, a junior, “for recovering and sticking a free-standing `Liberty’ move at the top {of the 21-girl formation} after the rest of the pyramid wobbled slightly during their routine.”
Beary also reported that David Knox of Sachem placed third in the Male Team America competition for solo performances. Ryan McGovern of Patchogue-Medford narrowly missed making the finals in the same event. Patchogue’s team was among 10 finalists in the coed division. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Jan 1995