Poms placed first in division three at the county tournament on Saturday for the second year in a row, increasing the likelihood that the team will move up to division two next year. Senior captain Mikela McMahon won the first place captain’s award.

Counties, which is the highest level of competition for MCPS poms teams, consists of 25 teams divided into three divisions based on success in previous seasons. In each division, awards are given for first, second and third place performance and captain.

“[Counties is] the end of our season,” McMahon said. “We’ve had a really long season since football, so it’s the best part of the whole year.”

Whitman placed first out of nine schools, and was judged on choreography, group execution, technique and overall presentation. The team has been preparing their routine since the end of the football season and performed it at an exhibition as well as two invitationals.

“After we lost our first competition and didn’t do so well they used that as motivation and really powered through to make it through today,” coach Alexa Ciesinski said. “It’s been a long road.”

The team’s hard work showed during their six-minute routine, which was performed to a medley of songs and partially accompanied by drumline.

“We all worked so hard and it paid off when we left it all on the court,” junior Sofia Luzuriaga said. “Everyone cried when they called Whitman.”

Because the team has won the division two years in a row and placed first at all their competitions except one, they will likely compete in division two next year. At the end of this school year, the county will add up each team’s scores from all their competitions, and the two teams with the highest scores will move up a division and the two with the lowest will move down.

Though changing to division two would put the team against tougher competition, the squad said they’re excited since the move is in recognition of their success.

“Good things come with practice and with hard work,” Ciesinski said, “and that’s perfectly exemplified by this team.