Feb. 19, 2007

ATLANTA, Ga. - Fresh off a first-place finish at the West Coast Championships in Las Vegas last weekend, the Owls hit the mats for the East Coast Championships this past weekend and finished second before a strong hometown crowd at the World Congress Center.

Kennesaw State competed against a top-heavy field that included national powers Maryland, North Carolina State, Georgia and Florida and as usual found themselves quickly near the top of scoring. The Owls finished the two-day event trailing only Maryland and placed ahead of N.C. State, Georgia and Florida.

"I couldn't be more pleased with how we did against a very strong field," said the Owls head coach Felecia Mulkey. "We made some mistakes and at times weren't as clean as I would liked us to be, but we had a good showing against a field of very talented teams."

The first day saw the Owls hit the floor first and although making a few mistakes had a strong overall performance that put KSU in second place behind Maryland.

"We took the floor first and that seem to impact the scores a little bit," commented Mulkey. "But our score and position was reflective of how we performed compared to Maryland."

The second day saw the Owls give s stronger typical Kennesaw State performance. With a higher energy level and with more difficult tumbling passes, the Owls improved their score from Saturday and closed the gap on the terrapins. However, the Owls energy-level couldn't overcome a drop on one side of a pyramid stunt.

"We are excited to finish second," added Mulkey. "We went out with a watered down routine as we prepare for nationals in April and I was very pleased with how we competed in front of our hometown crowd. Now we'll begin to integrate more difficulty into our routine and I can see how ready and excited the girls are."

The Owls will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. For the NCA Cheer Championships in early April.