Kansas City, MO – Following last week's sweep of the Midway Invitational, UPIKE cheer has been named one of 15 teams to qualify for the NAIA Competitive Cheer National Championship.

The announcement is an exciting milestone for the Bears, who will be competing in the program's first ever NAIA Championship. The event features two other MSC teams in Georgetown and Cumberlands. Qualifiers were determined by eight conference championship automatic bids and seven at-large bids.

Ypsilanti, Michigan will be host to the competition, which is set for March 11-12^th. The event is held at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.

The Bears have a pair of runner-up finishes on the season, both coming at the Tiger Invitational at the hand of Georgetown. UPIKE notched a top five finish at the MSC Championships before stepping up for a pair of wins last week at the Midway Invitational, claiming the top spot in both rounds.

The NAIA is the only athletics association to offer a national championship in competitive cheer. The Bears look to earn the program's second championship in two years after taking an All-Girl National Title at UCA Nationals a year ago.