DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -  SNHU Cheer set a program record in the preliminaries of the NCA National Championship Thursday in Daytona Beach, Fla.   The Penmen are in third place heading into Friday's final performance at 10:20 a.m.

The following report was filed today by freshman Alexis Chrissanthiss (Derry, N.H.):

Today was prelims in Daytona. We performed on the bandshell at around 10:20 this morning. At about 8:30am, we began our warmup outside in the grass like we did yesterday. We had our official warm up inside the Hilton where we practiced yesterday. The entire experience was unreal, as we warmed up aside iconic teams and popular athletes. Then, we walked over to the bandshell right on the ocean where we geared up to compete. It was most of our teams first time cheering on the bandshell and we were so excited to perform. We had a large crowd, and everyone was cheering for us. 
 
When asked how it felt being on the bandshell for the first time, freshman Madison Silvia said, "It was surreal, and it honestly was probably one of the best moments of my life."
 
Our coaches are proud of what we put out on the mat today. We have gone over our comments and notes from the judges and have been working to implement them for tomorrow. 
 
When asked how the performance felt, junior Kaylee Quinones said, "It felt surreal to finally be on the bandshell and I think the energy was pretty good throughout the entire routine. I can't wait to hit it tomorrow because I know we can."
 
We had a few issues in our routine, but we kept our energy high and finished strong. Our opening was strong and well timed. Our pyramid was solid, and our tumbling was tight. With 1 point in deductions, we are ending day 1 in 3rd place. We scored a 90.91 today, which is the highest in program history. We are very excited for day 2 tomorrow and to compete in finals on the bandshell. 
 
The Penmen finished in third place in the Advanced All-Girl category among Div. II schools at the 2022 Championships, which were also held in Daytona Beach.

Live streaming of the event (for a fee) is available through Varsity TV.

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