ORLANDO, Fla.  The Western Colorado cheer team will make its first appearance at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) College Nationals, competing on Saturday in the Open Small Coed division of the event, hosted by Varsity Spirit at the Walt Disney Resort.

The Mountaineer squad has previously competed in the USA Spirit Nationals but are taking the step up to the UCA championships beginning with this winter's event.

Last year Western placed fourth, and was the top NCAA Division II school, in the 4-year College Small Co-Ed Show Cheer category at the USA Spirit Nationals. At the 2022 nationals, the Mountaineers were third and also the top D-II squad in the final standings.

This year Western will compete in a division that includes NCAA D-II and -III, as well as squads from the NAIA and community college ranks.

The Mountaineers will take to the competition floor Saturday at 9:23 a.m. ET as the third squad from the 16-team division to appear in front of the judging panel. The top eight teams from those semifinals will advance to the finals, which begin at 4:04 p.m. ET starting with the eighth-place team from the earlier semifinals.

The event is viewable at the pay-per-view Varsity TV site, and results will be posted online at the championships results page.