Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - LET’S GO AGGIES! LET’S GO AGGIES! These are cheers you can hear at NM State home competitions from the most dedicated Aggie fans, the cheerleading squads. The Aggie cheerleading squads help the students and other fans interact in the games by leading cheers and performing stunts during timeouts and halftime.

Over the course of the year, the Aggie cheerleading squads and NM State mascot Pistol Pete put in hours of hard work. As in every sport at NM State, the cheerleaders also have a goal at the end of each season to make the national championships.
 
The NM State cheerleading squads traveled to Anaheim, Calif., March 29-30, to compete at the United Spirit Association National Championships. The Aggies entered two squads in the competition, including an all girls stunt group and a co-ed team, as well as Pistol Pete in the mascot division.
 
"Our goal for this year was to make it to the collegiate national finals and placing third was icing on the cake," head coach Jessica Franklin said. "This team put a lot of time, dedication and commitment in this year, which gave the foundation necessary to make a lasting program.  We will continue to go to the collegiate national competition every year.  Words cannot express how proud I am of this team.  We are also grateful to all of the support we have received from the community and NM State that helped us make our dream of going to nationals a reality."

In the Large Co-ed Division the Aggies placed third, while in the All Girls Stunt Division the Aggies also earned a third place finish. In the Mascot Division, Pistol Pete beat out six other mascots to finish third overall.

"It was a new experience for me but it was also an exciting time for our team," Brynn Woomer, a member of the co-ed squad said. "I thought our team really came together and it was nice to see all of our hard work pay off in the end."

"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to show the rest of the country that the NM State cheerleading program is a top notch program," Mario Lorado, a member of the co-ed squad said. "Nationals were a great opportunity for us to show our skills. Jessica is a tremendous coach and she did a great job preparing us for Nationals."