ERIE, PA – The Alfred University cheerleading team ended its 2023 season with a trip to Gannon University for the Golden Knights' Road to Daytona Showcase on Saturday.
 
The Saxons finished third in the Women's College All-Girl Intermediate discipline behind NCAA Division I St. Joseph's University and Ohio State University. "We knew going into today that it was going to be our toughest competition of the season, as due to size of the competition, we were slated to compete against two very strong Division I teams, St Joseph's University and Ohio State University," Head Coach Dr. Amy Button-Ervin said. "Despite unexpected injuries and the need to rework the routine again this past week, the team set a strong tone leading off as the first cheer team to compete today. I was very proud of our center stunt group, Alexa Robbins, Brandy Owens, Alana Scalzo and Lily Gowie for saving their opening inversion to lib and arabesque sequence. The group had two new members in the last week and they were really fighting for it to hit during warmups. The fight paid off on the mat and made for a solid start to the routine. I was also especially proud of one of our youngest stunt groups, Jesney Santos, Chealyn Howard and Cayla Torres for hitting their extension in the pyramid without a back or the bracing stunt they expected to be there. As always, the whole team nailed our dance at the end (including an additional six counts they learned less than 24 hours ago), which has received a plethora of compliments from spectators at each event."
 
"All in all, it was a strong finish to a challenging season with several unexpected twists and turns," Coach Button-Ervin said. "These 13 athletes are fierce warriors who will continue to fight on as our program grows and prospers in the coming years. We have our eyes set on the National Cheerleaders Association Championships in Daytona next year and I'm confident that, with our returning athletes and the incoming recruits who are committing to join us, that feat is well within our reach. Cheers to year four and Swords Forward into year five!"