Cougarettes pick up 20th national title with 2021 championship

BYU Cougarettes with the NDA national championship trophy on the beach in Daytona, Florida

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — The BYU Cougarettes wrapped up three days of competition at the 2021 NDA Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championship by winning the Division 1A hip hop national championship.

The NDA Championships were held April 8-10 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Cougarettes, who have now won 20 national championships since 1997, captured the 2021 hip hop crown with a score of 96.200 to finish ahead of Louisville (94.8857), Boise State (94.0857), Louisiana Monroe (92.7143) and Florida State (92.5714).

“It feels fantastic,” said BYU Cougarettes co-head coach Stacy Bills. “This was our first year coaching, and we were riding on the coat tails of a great legacy. We wanted to make sure we maintained that and hopefully get bigger and better.”

Bills and Morgan St. Pierre took over the co-head coaching responsibilities this year after the retirement of Jodi Maxfield, who had been with the Cougarettes for 30 years.

The Cougarettes finished second this year in the jazz category at the NDA championship.

“It was intense competition,” said Cougarette captain Abby Arnett. “It was fun. The one bummer was that there weren’t as many crowds.”

The Cougarettes have won five NDA Open Division/Jazz IA championships (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019), seven NDA Hip Hop Division IA championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021) and eight NDA Team Performance Division IA championships (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010). They were also United Spirit Association National Champions in 2005 and 2006.