Florida Atlantic club cheerleading returned from Daytona Beach, Florida, with a first-place trophy in the 2026 Small Coed D1A National Championship, which they won during the four-day competition from April 8-11. The 19 FAU students claimed the top spot at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), making history for the club.
The Florida Atlantic Club Cheer team was founded 10 years ago by FAU students and is now led by an FAU alum. Meghan Buchanan joined the FAU Club Cheer during her time as a student at Florida Atlantic, from 2018 to 2022.
Cheer and being a part of the team have been a big part of Buchanan’s life, and she expressed that, “My last year, I just wasn’t ready to let go.”
Now in her third year on the coaching staff, this is her first year as head coach.
The program is home to 55 students, divided into three teams: Spirit rally, all-girls, and Coed. The team welcomes all skill levels at its Spirit Rally and then fields the most competitive athletes on its Coed team.
The team hosts kids’ clinics to fundraise for their competitions and organizes beach cleanups to give back to the community.
“We all wanted it really, really bad. We pushed harder than we ever had before,” expressed Buchanan.
FAU Club cheer traveled to Daytona Beach to compete in the Small Coed D1A division against teams from across the country. Reflecting on previous seasons, Buchanan saw a need for change in training and practices: “We had a lot of talent back then … but we didn’t have that solid foundation.”
“The consistency that I put into the season, and from the athletes, and comparing this to the last few years, we just had such good chemistry,” Buchanan explained.
Kiera Pudder, a sophomore at FAU and center flyer, has taken on the role of captain of the FAU Club Cheer.
She is a full-time student, has a job, and ends her nights with cheer practice. Despite her busy schedule, Puddee shared, “You come here [to practice], and it’s actually relaxing. It’s like this is where we can breathe, and we can just be with our friends and have fun.”
The\ir to winning came as a shock. “I was kind of at a loss for words … looking back on all of the things that had happened this year, and how hard some practices were, and it was just a rewarding feeling.”
The team celebrated by receiving their jackets, taking pictures, spending time together, and waiting for their ring ceremony.
When the team returned home, they got right back to practice in preparation for tryouts, hoping this win would bring more talent into their program.
Aldana Jure is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, please email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @jezabeljure.
