TOPEKA, Kan. – The Lourdes competitive cheer team has qualified as an at-large bid for the NAIA National Championships, the league announced Monday night.

The Gray Wolves had a fantastic year that crowned them as the WHAC Regular Season Champions for the first time in school history. They were also WHAC Tournament runners-up.

Lourdes consistently scored in the mid-to-high 80's and even broke the 90's barrier this year. Individually, Joel Brothers won WHAC Cheerleader of the Year, as his teammates accumulated nearly a dozen other postseason awards, as well.

The 2026 national championships will be held at the Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka, Kansas on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28. The competition is a much farther trip than last year when they competed at Eastern Michigan University.  

The Friday of the tournament will consist of the preliminary rounds, which make up 25% of the team's final score. The final rounds will be hosted on Saturday, which make up the other 75% of the team's final score.

In total, 15 teams will be competing in the national championships, putting Lourdes in the middle of elite company. The conference tournament champions and at-large bids are listed below.

1. Oklahoma City           AMWC Tournament Winner
2. Taylor                         Crossroads Tournament Winner
3. Xavier (La.)                SSAC Tournament Winner
4. Missouri Valley          HAAC Tournament Winner
5. Madonna                     WHAC Tournament Winner
6. Cumberlands (Ky.)     Mid-South Tournament Winner
7. Northwestern Iowa     GPAC Tournament Winner
8. Saint Mary Kansas     KCAC Tournament Winner
9. St. Ambrose                At-Large Bid
10. Indiana Wesleyan       At-Large Bid
11. Tennessee Southern    At-Large Bid
12. Lourdes                      At-Large Bid
13. Dickinson State          At-Large Bid
14. Baker Kansas              At-Large Bid
15. Florida Memorial        At-Large Bid

St. Ambrose comes into the tournament having won the last three consecutive NAIA National Championships. On other end of the spectrum, Baker Kansas has never made the tournament before. Lourdes will be competing fourth in the performance order when they take the mats in just 10 days for their final competition in school history.