The Harvard cheerleading team took third place Sunday in the co-ed college division at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Northeast Regional Competition. The two-day competition drew over 40 high school and 15 college teams, 10 of them co-ed, to Albany, NY.

Harvard's team finished ahead of Boston College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), which have more established programs, according to Co-Captain Virginia S. Fuller '00.

The team's two-minute routine alternated between performing stunts and dancing, and included a cheer in the middle, Fuller said.

The team's 13 members consist of one senior, three juniors, three sophomores and six first-year students. Three of the cheerleaders are male.

Team members said the competition represents a significant accomplishment after the team was prohibited from performing stunts last year because of an accident in October 1997.

"It was really embarrassing to go to the NCAA [women's basketball tournament] last year and not to be able to do anything besides dance," Fuller said.

Team member Gerard P. Hammond '02 said the team has made a "180-degree turn since last year."

"We've really put it together and gone through the necessary steps," he said. "We're much more organized this year."

According to Co-Captain Alyssa B. Murphy '00, these steps included a workout requirement over the summer, the hiring of a coach and a series of negotiations with Harvard officials in charge of insurance and club sports.

Fuller added that last year's setback occurred when the cheerleading team had finally begun to establish itself.

"In the last two years, we've gone through a huge overhaul," she said. "Alumni have started to give money, and we've been doing fundraising on our own and with the athletic department."

Fuller said cheerleaders had a hard time in the past convincing the Department of Athletics that they needed a coach and funding. Over the three weeks prior to the competition, she said, students practiced every day at 7 a.m. because the department did not provide them with space at another time.

But Fuller said there is a long tradition of cheerleading at Harvard, which includes former Crimson President Franklin D. Roosevelt '04 .

She said Harvard students tend to be ignorant of campus cheerleaders, despite the team's presence at basketball and football games.

"The biggest reaction is that [students] are really surprised we even have cheerleaders," she said.

Hammond said he joined the cheerleading team because he wanted to contribute to school spirit.

"I wasn't good enough to be a recruit for any sport, and cheerleading is the best way for me to give back and get involved," he said.

Murphy said she is optimistic about the future of the program.

"We're hoping that more guys will turn out next year," she said.