FAMU co-ed cheerleaders take first place at MEAC championship

The FAMU cheerleaders took first place in the co-ed division of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) 2015 Cheerleading championship.  Senior Shelinka Cunningham took top honors in the All-Star division as well. In the overall championship, the Rattlers were runners’-up to the Morgan State Bears cheerleaders, who repeated as overall champions.

The FAMU pep squad put on a complex routine, filled with dance moves, cheerleader acrobatics and athletic hoists that thrilled the crowd at Echols Hall on the campus of Norfolk State University.  With MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas and a few thousand fans on hand, the FAMU team managed to stand out in the talented field of cheerleaders.

FAMU Head Coach Brandi Tatum was unable to travel with the team, but Assistant Coach Felicia Barnes was all smiles as the team struck gold in the co-ed division.

Competitive cheer is much different than what a cheer squad does in the normal course of an athletic game. The team practiced additional hours to prepare for the cheerleading competition.  Unlike Morgan State, which has a competitive cheer squad that competes in multiple competitions each year, FAMU prepares and competes in this sole event.