NEW ORLEANS— The Montreat cheer and dance programs competed in several competitions on Thursday and Friday at the Battle in the Big Easy. Both teams registered their first dual victories in program history, while the dance team placed third out of nine squads in the multiteam part of the competition.
 
On the first day of routines, the dance team faced off against Vanguard University and Aquinas College. The Cavaliers notched 69.6 points and 63.36 points, respectively, in the matchups but dropped each of the duels, falling to Vanguard 78.3 to 69.6 and Aquinas 83.8 to 63.36.
 
Cheer collected its first-ever triumph in competition on Thursday, as Montreat topped Dillard University. The Cavs registered an even 54.0 points from the judges, 14.1 more than their competitor to record the team's initial win. Montreat also battled the hosts Xavier University of Louisiana, a contest that was decided 93.8 to 53.43 in favor of the home team.
 
Day two featured a nine-school competition for the dance team and an eight-squad event for cheer. First, the dance team competed and placed third out of the nine schools with a score of 73.07. The Cavaliers performed their cheer routine early in the afternoon, finishing fifth of eight teams after tallying 51.2 points from the judges. Dance wrapped up its trip with a contest against Ave Maria. The Cavs picked up their first win in program history, outscoring the Gyrenes 73.73 to 70.37 in the competition.
 
Cheer and dance now head to Miami Gardens, Fla. for NAIA Southeast Regionals hosted by St. Thomas University. Cheer routines begin at 9:00 a.m. and dance competitions start at 12:00 p.m.