In their last competition of the year, the cheerleading team captured second place at the Charles H. Flowers invitational Feb. 4, competing in the advanced varsity section of the meet.

The tournament featured over 20 Maryland schools, ranging from elementary and middle schools to JV and varsity high school teams. Each school could enter into either the exhibition or competition section of the meet.

The Vikes only competed against two other schools in the advanced varsity competition section beating Anne Arundel County’s Southern High School, but falling to Montgomery County rival Blake High School. Additionally, Whitman was the only team to combine both their JV and varsity teams on the mat in the invitational.

Although they came up short, senior Grace Hering saw a lot of positives in the squad’s routine.

“We performed really well during the competition, hitting almost all of our stunts and bringing together a very clean appearance in general,” Hering said.

There were a few technical issues in their routine, Hering said, but she was pleased with the team’s effort.

“We still need to work on timing, but considering that this competition was both the JV and varsity teams combined I think that we brought a lot of spirit into our performance,” Hering said. “I’m really proud of the way were able to work together for one routine.”

With the team likely moving up to division two next year, combining both squads in the invitational gave the JV team valuable experience for next season, junior Lili Sipos said.

“It definitely helped current JV girls get an idea of what a varsity competition is like which will help their transition,” Sipos said. “Uniting the teams was beneficial for our teamwork; when JV girls move up, it’ll feel like they’ve been there all along.”