DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After securing the 2024 Spirit Rally National Title, the Texans looked to go back-to-back but this time competing at the Division I level for the first time in program history after the Purple and White’s completion of the four-year transition.
“We are incredibly proud of this team,” said head coach Blaine Hamilton. “They worked hard all year and there is no better feeling to see it all pay off. Running into the ocean with that trophy is a feeling like no other.”
Tarleton State did just that as they brought home their third ship in three years and fourth overall. The Texans have become a powerhouse in recent years cementing their spot in the history books.
“Winning back-to-back titles is not easy by any means, so to win three in three years is amazing,” said assistant coach Madison Scott. “To see everything come to fruition and for them to leave everything they had on the mat and come out with the result we wanted makes it even sweeter.”
Things officially got underway on Thursday when the Texans took the stage for the first time this year in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2025 for prelims. The Purple and White gave it everything they had putting an incredible performance on the mat and the judges took notice. Following prelims, Tarleton State sat in the coveted No. 1 spot with a 93.0 as the Texans hit zero (no deductions). Saint Joseph’s sat second with an 89.6 (0.25 deduction). Niagara rounded out the top-three with an 87.9 as they hit zero.
The next five teams all hit zero as Texas Southern sat in fourth place with an 87.1 followed by Lamar in fifth with an 87.1. Sacramento State claimed the No. 6 spot with an 84.9 while Yale and Robert Morris rounded out the final two spots with an 82.1 and 80.4 respectively.
While sitting in first is nice, the Texans had more to prove and show the judges why they are the best. Coming into finals, everyone’s prelims score counts 25% of the final score tabulation after all final’s performances.
As the Texans held the No. 1 spot, that meant they were the last in the division to compete as the final’s performance order starts with last place and ends with the top team. Tarleton State took the stage looking to prove once again why they deserved to be named National Champions. The Purple and White gave it everything they had and turned in a raw score of 94.1. Following a 0.25 deduction and their prelim score calculated in, the Texans were named National Champions for the third year in a row this time with a 93.7125, 3.65 points ahead of the next closest team in Saint Joseph’s.
The final rankings are as follows.
Spirit Rally Division I
Rank Program Name Raw Score Deductions Event Score
1 Tarleton State 94.1 0.25 93.7125
2 Saint Joseph’s 90.3 0 90.0625
3 Lamar 88.4 0.5 87.7
4 Niagara 87.6 0 87.675
5 Texas Southern 87.8 0 87.625
6 Sacramento State 87.7 0 87
7 Yale 84.4 0 83.825
8 Robert Morris 84.6 0 83.55
Mascot
Tarleton State made history once again as the Texan Rider competed in the Mascot division for the first time in program history after earning the bid back in the summer during NCA camp.
The mascot competition is a finals only performance meaning each mascot has just one time to show the judges why they are the best. Kolt Byrd the first Texan Rider to ever set on the mat in Daytona Beach for the Purple and White put on a performance many won’t soon forget. In his first ever time competing, he turned in a sixth place finish out of 17 different mascots from across the nation that competed.
Byrd earned his six-place finish with a raw score of 50.4 as he hit zero earning him a final score of 84. His six-place finish topped some big names in the mascot world ranking him above names like Raider Red from Texas Tech, Big Red from Arkansas and Cubby from Clemson and Scrappy from North Texas.
The final rankings are as follows.
Rank Program Name Raw Score Deductions Event Score
1 Georgia Tech 56.4 0 94
2 Vanderbilt 56 0 93.3333
3 Pittsburgh 52.0667 0 86.7778
4 Sam Houston 51.2333 0 85.3889
5 UTSA 50.8 0 84.6667
6 Tarleton State 50.4 0 84
7 North Carolina 50.1333 0 83.5556
8 Charleston 49.6 0 82.6667
9 SEMO 49.3333 0 82.2222
9 Missouri-Columbia 50.5333 2 82.2222
11 Iowa State 48.8 0 81.3333
12 South Carolina-Columbia 48.6667 0 81.1111
13 Texas Tech 47.9333 0 79.8889
14 North Texas 47.6667 0 79.4444
15 Arkansas-Fayetteville 47.3667 1 77.9444
15 Central Methodist 47.9667 2 77.9444
17 Clemson 46.8333 2 76.0556
Texan Stars
The Texans Stars once again head to the beach, the time with three different routines. On the National Dance Association (NDA) side of things, a team must place in the top few of their division to move on to finals. The Star’s Spirit Rally routine secured them a spot in the finals as they clinched the fourth and final spot. Their prelims performance saw them earn a raw score of 71.44 with 0.5 in deductions for an event score of 88.8.
After prelims, the rankings sat as follows. Sacred Heart (1)*, SFA (2)*, North Dakota (3)*, Tarleton State (4)*, Bellarmine (5), Idaho State (6) and Incarnate Word (7).
The final’s performance saw the Texans put a strong routine on the floor once again as they earned a fourth-place finish in the Dance Spirit Rally Division I. The Purple and White finished with a raw score of 72.16 as they hit zero for a final score of 90.2.
The final rankings are as follows.
Rank Program Name Raw Score Deductions Event Score
1 Sacred Heart 76.06 0 95.075
2 SFA 74.96 0 93.7
3 North Dakota 73.52 0 91.9
4 Tarleton State 72.16 0 90.2
1 Trackback / Pingback