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Game day graphic featuring Baker cheerleader Megan Boettcher (left) and a group of Baker dancers (right)
Posted: Mar 26, 2026

Wildcats Set to Host, Compete at 2026 NAIA Cheer and Dance Championships

TOPEKA, Kan. - After earning a pair of third-place conference finishes, the Baker cheer and dance teams will compete at the 2026 Nfinity NAIA Cheer and Dance National Championships this upcoming weekend at the Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka, Kan.

Along with the NAIA and VisitTopeka, the Wildcats are serving as one of the hosts for the national competition, which gets underway on Friday, March 27, with the preliminary round and concludes on Saturday, March 28, with finals.

Baker will be one of 15 teams competing on the cheer side, while the dance field will feature 12 total teams. BU will be joined in both competitions by one other Heart program, with Missouri Valley's cheer team and Grand View's dance squad both clinching after winning the conference championships a couple of weeks ago.

This will be BU cheer's first-ever appearance at the NAIA Championships, coming off a terrific regular season that saw the Wildcats win a couple of team titles and earn the program's highest finish at conference after placing third on an overall score of 90.45.

As one of the NAIA's perennial contenders, Baker dance will be making its 10th trip to nationals after turning in a solid 2026 campaign that culminated with a third-place showing at the Heart Championships. The Wildcats registered scores of over 90 on two separate occasions this season, marking a 90.58 in their season-opening performance and a 90.17 at the conference competition.

Friday's prelims are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. with BU cheer slotted to be the second team to hit the stage. Dance prelims will follow at 7 p.m. with BU dance set to perform sixth at approximately 7:50 p.m.

The NAIA Championships will wrap up on Saturday with the cheer finals starting at 10 a.m., followed by dance finals at 2:30 p.m.

A free live stream of the championships will be available on the Urban Edge Network and the NAIA Network. Advanced tickets are available for purchase via Ticketmaster.

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