January 27, 2004 :: No. 135

Cal State Fullerton Dance Team #1 for Fifth Straight Year

For the fifth straight year, the Cal State Fullerton Dance Team finished first in Division 1 of the 2003 College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships, held Jan. 17-18 at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

“Our fifth consecutive national title is the icing on the cake! It takes so much more than anyone could ever imagine to piece it all together,” said team coach Sam Shen. “It is amazing to see all of the hard work and dedication from the girls pay off with a first-place finish.”

The national competition drew hundreds of teams from across the county and is sponsored by the Universal Dance Association. Cal State Fullerton’s team qualified for the event by finishing first in a semifinal video round in October and earned an expense-paid to Orlando. The Titans competed with 25 teams in Division 1, for colleges and universities without a football program. ESPN-TV plans to air the dance championships March 27 at 5 p.m.

The dance team is coached by former team members and alumnae Shen (B.A. communications ’98) and Jennie Moreno (B.S. child development ’97). The 12-member team includes: Brie Friese and Amanda Smith of Anaheim, Andrea Lewis of Chino, Caitlin Riley of Corona, Chelsea Ray of Diamond Bar, Staci Bainhardt of Fullerton, Bailey Marks of Mission Viejo, Stephanie Duhamel of Rancho Cucamonga, Vanessa Vargas of San Diego, Tara Schulenberg of Temecula, Emily Smith of Valencia and Kelly Scribner of Yorba Linda.

Dance team members perform at every men’s and women’s home basketball game and will reprise their winning performance at halftime during the men’s Feb. 26 game. In addition, the team will head to Las Vegas Feb. 27-29 for the United Spirit Association nationals.