DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Christopher Newport competition cheerleading squad took the floor for the preliminary round of the NCA Collegiate Cheer Championships on Thursday morning and secured a score of 94.1389 to rank second out of 17 teams heading into Friday's finals. The Captains, reigning champions in the Intermediate All-Girl Division III category, will perform in the finals at 12:24 p.m. on Friday afternoon at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

"I am extremely proud of the team today," said head coach Erica Flanigan. "We had a small mistake that we're hoping to fix for tomorrow. The team is excited and focused, and we are ready to hit the mat again tomorrow!"

The Captains score of 94.14 included a 0.75-point deduction for a building fall that marred an otherwise flawless routine. The preliminary round performance accounts for 25 percent of the team's total score while Friday's final will account for the remaining 75 percent. 

Leading the Intermediate All-Girl Division III category after the first day is the University of New England who did not suffer a deduction with a score of 96.22 on Thursday. Behind the Captains, North Central (93.41), Curry College (92.74), and Piedmont (92.65) round out the top five after prelims. 

Performances are graded in multiple categories with stunts, pyramid skills, tosses, standing tumbling, and running tumbling all included in the scoring by NCA College judges. 

Fans are able to subscribe to watch live and on demand at tv.varsity.com or by clicking here. Following CNU's final performance, the award ceremony will be held at approximately 4:00 p.m. in the Ocean Center Arena.