Memphis Earns Lucky Number 3

After a WILD performance, the Tigers from the University of Memphis are Small Coed DI National Champions!

With 21 teams competing in the division, the spirit squad from Memphis, Tennessee placed in the top spot in Semi-Finals, which advanced them into DI Small Coed Finals with confidence and some added pressure. After Semis, it was time to band together as a team as they were given one last chance to showcase their routine.

We are keeping things WILD with the University of Memphis TIGERS! 🐯@UofMTigersCheer #UCAnationals pic.twitter.com/xess6dQMUH

— UCA (@UCAupdates) January 19, 2019

The squad made a comeback in 2019 after their seventh-place finish at the 2018 UCA College National Championship. “Last year after finishing Finals and knowing it was not our best performance, we knew we never wanted to feel that way ever again,” said senior Latajia Watkins. First-year squad member Kaleb Newell added, “Each member of our team was constantly critiquing and focusing on what we could do better after each and every rep.”

In the face of adversity, the Tigers pushed themselves harder to come back stronger in this year's competition. 

“You can get through anything with your family and that’s exactly what we are, a family. We have a saying “1621” which means that the 16 on the mat all must become one if we want to accomplish our goal.” – Latajia Watkins.

The team opened up their championship routine with Memphis pride. ”There were multiple parts of our routine that stood out, but our opening formation in our ‘M’ that transitioned into our round off rewinds really set the tone for our routine,” said Newell. For Kaleb, this was a dream he has had his heart set on for six years. 

“We had a lot of close hits throughout our season, but we were not going to settle. It felt euphoric to finally have peaked at the right time,” said Newell. The time was right as they had the arena crowd up and cheering for the Tigers in their Finals performance. 

[WATCH] 2019 Div. l Small Coed Champions – Memphis

The team is headed back to Memphis with their third national championship title! A force to be reckoned with, the Tigers are surely already hungry for their chance at going back to back in the 2020 UCA National Championships.

Written By: Alexis Gass

---

How To Watch

Join Varsity TV PRO now to stream live Varsity TV competitions & events anytime, on any device!

TV: Available on Roku & Apple TV 4 — download the FloSports TV app now.

*FloCheer PRO subscribers, you can use your existing login to access to all Varsity TV premium content, live streaming competitions and events.