Cheerleading Marks Fourth 1st Place Finish in as Many Competitions

The Daemen Cheerleading team capped another successful season by taking home the grand champions title from the Virginia Beach Surf’s Up National Championship on April 14. It marked the Wildcats’ fourth first place finish in as many competitions this season. Under the direction of head coach Brianna Aichinger, the Wildcats also topped the fields at the Great Lakes Championship on March 3, the Queen City National Championship on March 10 and the I Love NY Championship on March 17. Sophomore Jaelyn Stanton was named the team’s MVP for the second straight season.

Men’s Volleyball Team Has Season of Stand-Out Success

In just their second season as a member of the Northeast Conference, the Daemen men’s volleyball team climbed the mountain to become conference champions. Led by the NEC tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, setter Sean Califf, the Wildcats earned the tournament’s No. 2 seed and eventually took down top-seeded Saint Francis on their home court to win the title. It was the culmination of a record-setting campaign for coach Don Gleason’s squad, finishing with the most wins (20) in program history and also the team’s first-ever ranking in the AVCA Division I-II national poll. The season included a thrilling five-set win over No. 1 2 UC-Santa Barbara and senior outside hitter Zach Schneider becoming the first player in team history to surpass 1,000 career kills.

Women’s Basketball Champion NCAA DII East & Reach Elite 8

Led by All-American guard Alahna Paige, the Daemen women’s basketball team proved itself to be elite once again, winning the NCAA Division II East Region championship and advancing to the Elite 8 for the second time in four seasons. The Wildcats, under the leadership of head coach Jenepher Banker, won their fifth consecutive East Coast Conference regular season title and their third straight ECC tournament crown, finishing the season with a 23-8 overall record and ranked 12th in the final WBCA Division II national poll. Paige set a program record with 101 three-pointers and finished third among all Division II players in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. She was named the East Coast Conference and East Region Player of the Year.