Brooklyn Three-Peats at CUNYAC Cheerleading Championship

Brooklyn successfully defended their title at the 2015 CUNYAC Cheerleading Championship where close to 700 fans filed in to spectate the event. This is the Bulldog’s eighth CUNYAC championship, all in the last nine years. Brooklyn finished with 78.33 points, followed by Kingsborough Community College with 66.83, John Jay with 66.33, Lehman with 65.83, and CCNY with 48.16.

The defending champions from Brooklyn came out with one thing on their minds: three-peat. The Bulldogs took first place with a final score of 78.33 at the 2015 CUNYAC Championship to seal the deal. Their routine consisting of high flying stunts and well executed tumbling made for a memorable performance.

“It’s a passion and the fact that we are a family. It’s more than the skills that we teach,” Coach Simmons said. “It’s what we do inside the practice room. It’s what we do for the community and each other that allows the team to come together in order to execute a performance like Brooklyn did.”

Brooklyn also earned first place in the stunt competition. Their energetic routine was full of high flying action with flips and twists. They accumulated a final score of 39, which allowed them to secure the gold. The Bulldogs were lead by Amanda Strano, Ryan Hurst, Jacey Friedlander, Jessie Ann Ancona, and Naomi Grey. In second place was John Jay with 35.5 points and York closed out the scoring with 31 points.

In the Jumping Competition, Friedlander of Brooklyn earned the gold with her tremendous execution notching a score of 16.66. For their terrific performances, York’s Kimberly Smith finished second with a 16 and John Jay’s Janiella Adams finished third with a score of 15.

In the Tumbling Competition, Sarah Siegel of John Jay dazzled with her skills as a tumbler. She finished in first place with a score of 16. Brooklyn’s Christina Careri finished in second place with a score of 14.83 for her great performance.

For the first time in CUNYAC history, the conference has named major conference awards for Cheerleading. Performer of the Year went to Amanda Strano of Brooklyn.

“It feels amazing!” exclaimed Strano. “My teammates,” the senior continued, “I owe it all to them. It’s because of them that I push myself the way that I do.”

Also receiving CUNYAC honors were Rookie of the Year, Jacklyn DiMarco of John Jay, and Coach of the Year, Juliette St. Fleur of Lehman. CUNYAC has also named their first sportsmanship team in conference history with Lehman’s Briana Lawrence receiving the top honor. The Sportsmanship Team is represented by Isis Samuel of John Jay and Marlene Vasquez of Brooklyn.

The cheerleading competition is one of the most interactive events on the CUNYAC slate with lots of laughs, dancing, and giveaways in front of a consistently large and active crowd.