The University of Kansas spirit squads brought home three top-10 finishes from the 2009 Universal Cheerleaders Association/Universal Dance Association College Nationals held last month in Orlando, Fla.

The KU Cheer Squad, Rock Chalk Dancers and Big Jay finished the competition fifth, ninth and ninth respectively.

The KU Cheer Squad tied for fifth place out of 19 teams at the competition. The squad made the trip on a full-paid bid after placing first in the Mid-American Region—a first in school history.

“Choreographer Leighton Clarke gave us a great routine, and assistant coaches Nami Stone and Jimmy Godfrey did an amazing job preparing the team,” says Corey Stone, head cheer coach. “Fifth place is a huge success for us.”

First-year head coach Mandy Pruett lead the Rock Chalk Dancers to a ninth-place finish in the hip-hop category and 11th in jazz. Pruett said she was proud of her team’s performances in the Division I-A category that included 28 teams.

In his first national competition, Big Jay placed ninth out of 22 competing mascots. The Jayhawks’ mascot performed a routine using extravagant props created by D.W. Acker, graphic designer at Kansas Athletics.

The competition featured 152 collegiate spirit squads from 43 states. Both the KU Cheer Squad and Rock Chalk Dancers were the highest finishing Big 12 Conference squads in the competition. To watch video of the KU spirit squads’ performances at the national competition, visit www.varsity.com.