Standing on the mats at Daytona Beach for the 2026 NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship on April 8-11, the Fitchburg State University cheerleaders looked like they had it all together. To the thousands of spectators in the stands, they were just another elite team in Green and Gold performing a flawless routine.
But the crowd couldn't see what it took to get there. They didn't see the frantic fundraising or the senior leader in the emergency room just two days before the competition. What looked like a perfect performance was actually the result of a season spent fighting to keep the program running strong.
What the audience saw was a "hit zero"—a perfect, deduction-free routine. What they saw was a team that had just secured 10th place in the nation in one of the most competitive Division III pools in the country.
“We are very proud of the cheer team and all the energy and enthusiasm they bring to home games and to their competition season," said Fitchburg State Executive Director of Athletics & Recreation Matt Burke. "To stand on that stage in Daytona is a credit to their talent and their tireless work ethic. I couldn’t be more proud of these athletes for their success on the national stage and for proving that they belong among the very best in the country."
This is a story of a season that had many ups and downs, led by a group of athletes who simply refused to let their sport fade away.
Emma DaPonte, a junior leader who became a key glue piece that held the squad together, said that having alumni Kyla Guertin and Jacqueline Ross as coaches were gigantic in keeping the team focused and pointed in the right direction.
Fundraising became a point of emphasis for the cheer program.
Through a grueling four-month fundraising blitz and the support of the athletic department and FINCOM, the team secured 25 brand-new uniforms. For the first time in years, the Falcons looked like the elite competitors they were becoming.
Then the team made a bold choice. After electing to compete in the more beginner-friendly Game Day division, they decided to return to the Traditional Competition division—a high-stakes, high-flying arena that requires elite synchronization and tumbling.
Then, the roster numbers began to fluctuate.
"Every time an athlete leaves, we have to fill that gap, and it takes away from repetition time," said cheerleader and vice president Sydney Lynds. "Our coach Jackie’s famous words were, 'Just have an open mind.' We had to be adaptable."
Former athletes, hearing of the team's fluctuating roster, actually came out of "retirement" to fill the holes, proving that the bond of the Fitchburg State cheer family extended far beyond current enrollment.
We are very proud of the cheer team and all the energy and enthusiasm they bring to home games and to their competition season. To stand on that stage in Daytona is a credit to their talent and their tireless work ethic. I couldn’t be more proud of these athletes for their success on the national stage and for proving that they belong among the very best in the country.
By April, the team was humming. They had survived the showcases at Assumption College, Bryant University, and Southern New Hampshire University, looking sharper with every performance. On the night they were scheduled to fly to Florida for the Nationals, they held one final "send-off" showcase at the Fitchburg State Rec Center.
The energy was electric. President Donna Hodge and her husband, Dustin, were in the front row.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
During the final moments of the routine, Lynds went down. It wasn't a minor stumble.
"We brought her to the emergency room with the car already packed for the airport," said DaPonte.
The diagnosis was grim: crutches, a brace, and a direct order not to compete. For Lynds, a senior who had given her soul to the program, the news was devastating. For the team, it was a catastrophe. They were losing a veteran leader and a core team member 48 hours before the biggest stage in the world.
When the team touched down in Florida, they didn’t head to the beach. They headed to a small, local cheer gym that had graciously offered them mat time. They had 48 hours to rewrite a national-level routine.
"This called for athletes to do positions they had never done before and be brave for just two minutes and 15 seconds," said Lynds, watching from the sidelines on her crutches.
The atmosphere in Daytona is a pressure cooker. Thousands of athletes from over 400 colleges are there chasing championship glory. The Falcons practiced every available minute. The night before the preliminary round, they ran the new version of the routine. It was perfect.
"We left that practice absolutely elated," said Daponte. "We had a renewed sense of confidence and determination."
The goal for Nationals was simple but daunting: "hit zero." In cheer-speak, it means a routine with no falls, no bobbles, and no safety violations. Most teams hope to hit zero once. The Falcons wanted it both days.
As they took the mat, they weren't just cheering for the judges; they were cheering for the five alumni who had flown down to surprise them, for the coaches who believed in them, and for Lynds, who stood cheering, wishing she could compete with her teammates.
They didn't just hit zero once. They did it twice.
When the final scores were tallied, Fitchburg State placed 10th in the nation for Division III.
The impact of the season reached all the way to the President’s Office. Hodge saw the resilience firsthand.
"Tenth in the nation in that division, after a season like the one they had, is extraordinary," said Hodge. "They represented Fitchburg State with strength and composure, and they did it together.”
For the seniors like Lynds, the 10th-place finish was a bittersweet but triumphant end to a decade-long journey. For the freshmen, it was a masterclass in what it means to be a Falcon.
"This program has truly come such a long way," said Guertin. "To see them deliver powerful, zero-deduction performances is a testament to their hard work and the strong bond they share. I am excited for the future."
As the team returned to Fitchburg, they brought back more than a trophy. They brought back a blueprint for overcoming the worst-case scenario. They proved that they can overcome any obstacles in their life.
"We went down to Daytona with one goal," said Lynds. "After everything, and what felt like the universe was against us, we reached it. We were seen, we were valued, and we were top-10."
The cheer team members include: Litzy Aguilar, Alia Bell, DaPonte, Jocelyn Gillespie, Cassidy Greives, Rylee Harty, Lynds, Sami Murray, Samya Perez, Lexi Phanthavong, Lyra Polcaro, Sara Surette and Ashlyn Vachon.