Hawai'i Pacific University Student Life is sponsoring a Cheer and Dance Nationals Preview to honor its national champion cheerleading and dance squads Tuesday at Blaisdell Arena at 7 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.

HPU's teams are headed to Florida in April to defend their titles in the National Cheerleaders Association Chick-fil-A Collegiate Championships.

They will be competing for a fifth national championship.

The small coed cheer team (consisting of no more than four male members) won back-to-back national titles after debuting at the 2005 NCA competition.

The all-girl stunt group will also defend its back-to-back national titles.

The HPU Dance Team will be looking to pick up a third title after winning in 2004 and 2006.

TAEKWONDO

THREE CAPTURE GOLD

Three Oahu Taekwondo Center athletes won gold medals at the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships at Orlando, Fla., last month.

In the ages 14 to 17 division: Jayme Cajimat of 'Ewa Beach was awarded the gold in men's flyweight division. Jensen Ishida of Waikele won the championship of the men's bantam division.

In the 11 to 13 division: Jeanelle Ben of Pearl City won the women's lightweight division.

Others from Hawai'i winning silver medals were Jaysen Ishida of Waikele and Blaise Castegnetti of Mililani. Winning bronze were Jason Sam of Salt Lake and Kyle Woosley of Wai'anae.

Oahu Taekwondo Center was given the "Overall Male Team Standings Award" at the closing ceremonies.

TRAMPOLINE

VERCRUYSSEN 10TH

Nani Vercruyssen, a 15-year-old freshman at Roosevelt High School, finished 10th in the 17th Aalsmeer Flower Cup, an international trampoline invitational at Aalsmeer, The Netherlands last week.

In other results involving Hawai'i athletes:

Matt Moniz, a 20-year-old freshman at Leeward Community College, was 28th in the senior elite open men's division.

Spencer Dupio, a 16-year-old sophomore at Roosevelt, was 32nd in the junior elite boys division.

Kelsen Onigama, a 12-year-old sixth-grader from Kalakaua Middle School, was 24th in the junior elite boys division.

Four hundred of the top athletes from 20 countries competed for rankings in the junior and open divisions for girls, boys, women and men.

RIFLERY

PUNAHOU ALUMS PLACE

Heather Horn and Simone Riford, both 2006 Punahou graduates and former Hawai'i high school state champions in air riflery, finished in the top 10 at the Junior Olympic National Shooting Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., March 15.

Horn finished fifth with a two-day score of 1237.2 points and Riford sixth with 1235.7 points in smallbore.

In air riflery, Riford was 16th with 775 points and Horn 17th with 775. Riford won a tie-breaker.