The University of Hawaii cheerleading team earned first place in the Universal Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Championships Western Regional national qualifier.

Collegiate teams from across the country submit qualification videos, which are judged to determine the regional rankings.

Teams must perform a cheer, followed by a one minute and 15 second skills exhibition.

Other division 1A regional winners receiving paid or at-large bids are Ohio State, Kansas, UCF, Alabama, Kentucky, Memphis, and Minnesota. Teams receiving Division IA partial paid bids were: Louisiana State, Tennessee, Western Kentucky and Indiana.

The first-place ranking gives the team a full paid bid to the National Championships and advances Hawai`i straight into the finals. The championship will be held from Jan. 15-17, 2010 in Orlando, Fla. at Disneyworld.

The competition will be shown on ESPN numerous times beginning in February 2010. The paid bid covers airfare within the continental United States (Los Angeles to Orlando), hotel accommodations, ground transportation, entry fees and four-day park passes.

"We've got an almost brand new team this year, so we’ve been working really hard,” said head coach Mike Baker. “We lost many key members of the team from last year’s award winning team due to graduation, but we are rebuilding now with a solid core of newcomes who have stepped up to the challenge. This team has a lot of heart and they value their opportunity to represent Hawai`I and to be a part of a great program.

This marks the return of the Warrior squad to the UCA Nationals. Last year, the team captured the inaugural "RAH! Paula Abdul's Cheerleading Bowl." Hawai`i has a strong history in the UCA competition, placing in the Top 10 the previous four years, including as high as third in 2005.