The Titan Cheerleaders placed third at the 30th Annual Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association (ICCA) State Championship held in Springfield, Ill. on Jan. 4.

This was a first for the varsity squad as they continue to make South history. South Cheer took home a third place trophy and medals for each of the participants.

To qualify for ICCA State, the team had to place at an invitational. On Dec. 21, the squad placed first in the Andrew Invitational. According to head coach Stephanie Fuja, it was a great experience for the team to rise above the other 18 teams they competed with, which signified the progress the cheer program has made.

“We always set goals on getting stronger and more skilled,” Fuja said. “Last year really turned a huge corner where we became extremely competitive, and this year is […] exceeding my expectations.”

Over the past season, the varsity squad has placed fourth at the Stevenson Invitational on Saturday Dec. 15, which was the highest finish South Varsity Cheer has ever placed at the specific invite.

Along with their success at the Stevenson Invitational, the team placed first at the UCA’s cheer competition over the summer with four South cheerleaders honored as “All-American Cheerleaders”: senior captain Jaime Bendewald, junior Kara Sherman, junior Michelle Eriksson and sophomore Emily Weiss.

The Titans have been working on honing in on their tumbling skills and practicing their routines since before school started and have been focusing on maximizing their potential. According to senior captain Tara Graff, every person on the team has been 110 percent committed to doing well at ICCA and IHSA State.

“We had a lot of talent [and drive] come in since last [season] and have been challenged with harder stunts for our competitions,” Graff said. “I definitely think that we performed the best we’ve ever done [at ICCA State, and I’m so proud to be on this team.”

Since last season, the cheer program has lost 10 seniors but has made up for the loss with the addition of 13 sophomores. According to Sherman, the program worked hard to scout out the best talent they could get to replace the departed upperclassmen.

“We lost some key players [last year] and we compensated by recruiting more girls,” Sherman said. “There has been a very versatile amount of talent this year and some strong stunting skills [compared to last season].”

Last season’s team was a turning point for the cheer program, Fuja said. They were the first team to qualify for ICCA State and place within the Top 10. However, this season’s team has built upon that foundation two-fold, Fuja said.

Most recently, the squad had one of their best performances at sectionals, Weiss said. This performance landed them with a seventh place finish.