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“Well, I didn’t expect to do this I assure you,” Eastern Oklahoma State College Cheerleading and Pom/Dance Coach Pat Thomas said in her normal straightforward, yet excited voice. “It just happened!”

Eastern cheerleaders captured the National Cheerleader Association National Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla, at about 11:45 a.m. Friday, April 8.

“This is a first for us. We have been competing for 16 years and have been close before but have never taken first place,” Thomas said.

Eastern cheerleaders have placed in third, fourth and fifth place in final competition throughout the years. The competition is an open event where two-year schools are competing in the same category as major universities. Thomas said two community colleges advanced from preliminary rounds to the final competition; Eastern and Hutchinson, Kan.

Virginia Commonwealth University, with an enrollment of near 27,000 placed second behind the squad from Eastern with the United States Military Academy at West Point (enrollment 4,000) placing third.

“We entered the coed finals as the fourth-place winner from a field of 11 in the preliminary round.

“Most of the five final teams were heavy in male team numbers and were very gymnastic,” she said.

“When you get to that level of competition, it’s simply a matter of who can perform with the fewest mistakes,” the coach said.

“Our team performed beautifully.”

There are more than 4,000 NCAA teams in the United States and Eastern is generally considered to be one of the top 100 programs in the nation.

More than 200 teams are selected to the finals in Daytona each year.

Eastern’s competitive cheerleading squad began in 1988 with Thomas as coach and the pom and dance squad was started in the fall of 1990.

Thomas is sometimes referred to as the “Dean” of Eastern coaches. She began teaching at Eastern in August of 1963, and has been coaching the cheer and pom squads for the last 41 years. Thomas has been named to the Top 10 cheerleading coaches in America. Her squad members have transferred to all of Oklahoma’s four-year and comprehensive universities as well as other universities nationally.

Eastern’s Pom and Dance squad was selected to the Daytona competition but did not make it to the finals round this year.

Cheerleaders competing at nationals included: Jessica Phelps from Hartshorne; Adrian Lillard, Wilburton; Lindy Morgan, Red Oak; Amanda Huval, Stilwell; Jessie Goodin, Eufaula; Benjamin Tims, Hugo; Amber Hutchings, Colbert; Kelley Johnson, Woodward; Crystal Basden, Quinton; Kendra Pickle, Heavener; Michelle Chase, Broken Arrow; Cody Henry, Antlers; Jessica Toumbs, Wilburton; Mandy Skimbo, Wilburton; Laurie Burke, Hartshorne; Vance Landers, Mannford; T'era Combest, Holdenville and Britnee Stearman, Howe.

Pom and dance team members included: Kayla Campbell from Wilburton; Shannon Fudge, Talihina; Kelley Johnson, Woodward; Asami Nagao, Tokyo, Japan; Lindsey Wilson, Eufaula; Jandi Haskell, Ninnekah; Tomomi Nishimura, Tokyo, Japan; Miyu Toyonaga, Chiba, Japan; Nikki Pearson, Wister; Kumiko Kudo, Higashimurayama, Japan, and Yuriko Shinzato, Tokyo, Japan.

Caption info: Eastern Coach Pat Thomas displays the national trophy captured by her cheerleading squad. National competition team members include from front left: Jessica Toumbs, Wilburton; Michelle Chase, Tulsa; Laurie Burke, Hartshorne; Vance Landers, Mannford; Kendra Pickle, Heavener and Lindy Morgan, Wilburton. Second row: Adrian Lillard, Wilburton; Crystal Basden, Quinton; Amanda Huval, Stilwell; Kelley Johnson, Woodward; Mandy Skimbo, Wilburton, Britnee Stearman, Heavener and Jessica Phelps, Hartshorne. Back row: Jessie Goodin, Quinton; Sacket Tims, Antlers; T’era Combest, Holdenville, Cody Henry, Antlers and Tanara Geegbae, Tulsa.