Stuttgart High School’s cheer team was crowned Division I team champions at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026, ending the four-year-run of Wiesbaden High School. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Stuttgart’s cheer squad has been crowned this year’s top Division I team at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships, ending a four-year winning streak by defending champions Wiesbaden.
It marks the first time since 2019 that the Panthers have claimed the championship plaque.
“I don’t think it’s kicked in yet,” Stuttgart co-captain Chadwik Berrey said minutes after the results were announced Friday night at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne. “We’ve come so close in past years, and now we finally did it.”
Hailey Gains shows big energy during Stuttgart High School’s performance at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. Stuttgart was named Division I team champions for the first time since 2019. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein High School cheerleaders show their athleticism during the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. The team placed second in the Division I team competition. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A cheerleader from Wiesbaden High School looks down during her team’s performance at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. Wiesbaden finished third during the team competition this year, ending a four-year run of first place finishes. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart finished runner-up in the Division I team competition last year and the year before.
“We were determined to not always be known as the second-best and to show everyone what we’re capable of,” the team’s other co-captain, Micaah Evans, said.
Evans, a senior, has been cheering for Stuttgart for four years and said her teammates this year communicated better than ever and stayed determined.
“It feels like the greatest victory,” she said of being crowned champions in her final opportunity.
Wiesbaden, which clinched the Division I team title every year between 2022 and 2025, had to settle for third place this year, while Ramstein High School’s cheerleaders took second.
Bree Lambert, right, and Natalie Hall show spirt during Vicenza’s performance at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. Vicenza were crowned Division II team champions. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Vicenza High School’s cheerleading team celebrates after being named Division II team champions at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Cheerleaders from Rota High School brought big energy to the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026, securing a second-place finish in the Division II team category. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Arianna Reale is thrown into the air by her American Overseas School of Rome teammates during their routine at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. They placed third in the Division II team category. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
In Division II, Vicenza finished on top.
Captain Riley Brewington said the victory was a long time coming.
“This is the first first-place Vicenza has gotten since our coaches were cheering at this school,” Brewington, a junior, said. “So it feels really good to have accomplished this.”
Vicenza last won the Division II team title in 2017. The team placed third last year and has since welcomed new coaching staff, which Brewington credited for the turnaround.
“The team now is a lot sharper, people are more dedicated, and we’re putting a lot more effort into what we’re doing,” she said. “I’m ready to do it again next year, the exact same thing: win first place.”
Spain’s Rota High School and the American Overseas School of Rome clinched second and third place, respectively, in the Division II team category.
Solina Moreno, captain of the AFNORTH cheer team, center with hand over mouth, reacts to her team being named Division III team champions at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Abigail Hudson of Alconbury High School was named an all-tournament Division III cheerleader at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes )
Meanwhile, AFNORTH High School in the Netherlands was the final top team announced Friday, prevailing in Division III.
AFNORTH’s squad won the division two years ago but slipped to second last year.
Captain Solina Moreno said despite setbacks this season, the team remained laser-focused on finishing on top.
“We’ve been through a lot of hardship, injuries and replacements, but we got through it and in the end, it worked,” Moreno said. “It makes this feel even more amazing.”
AFNORTH were able to edge out Alconbury, which finished second, and Spangdahlem, which secured third.
Kennedy Rose of Aviano High School is thrown into the air during the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. Rose was named an all-tournament Division II cheerleader. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes )
Kenya Tucker, a senior at Hohenfels High School, shows her athleticism during the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. Tucker was named an all-tournament Division III cheerleader. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes )
Lyric Stepnak of Kaiserslautern High School flips in the air as her teammates look on during the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. Stepnak was named an all-tournament Division I cheerleader. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes )
Cheerleaders from Alconbury High School are all smiles at the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. The team was crowned Division III game day champions. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Madison Honigford shouts during Vilseck High School’s performance that the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. The team was crowned Division I game day champions. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes )
Winners are determined by a panel of judges based on routines performed during the one-day championships.
A separate title based on how teams perform throughout the cheer season was also announced during the event, as usual.
This year, the Game Day winners were Vilseck High School for Division I, Naples High School for Division II and Alconbury for Division III.
Additional awards for stunts and individual all-tournament honors for standout cheerleading are also presented.
Stuttgart, Naples, Rota, Alconbury, Hohenfels and Spangdahlem each had two all-tournament cheerleaders, the most of any school.
Braeden Doss of Sigonella High School soars through the air during the DODEA-Europe cheerleading championships at Clay Kaserne, Germany, Feb. 13, 2026. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes )
DIVISION I
Team
1. Stuttgart 2. Ramstein 3. Wiesbaden
Game-day winner: Vilseck
All-Tournament: Brooklyn Hogan – Stuttgart; Mia Mathes – SHAPE; Joseph Ruffalo – Vilseck; Quinn Field – Ramstein; Chadwik Berrey – Stuttgart; James Ratkovsky – Lakenheath; Lyric Stepnay – Kaiserslautern; Hailey Stelker – Wiesbaden
DIVISION II
Team
1. Vicenza 2. Rota 3. AOSR
Game-day winner: Naples
All-Tournament: Jalana Nelson – Naples; Nyeema Fernandez – Sigonella ; Rebecca Conchaud – AOSR ; Marin Storey – Naples ; Christian Cervantes – Rota ; Riley Brewington – Vicenza; Natalie Phillips – Rota; Kennedy Rose – Aviano
DIVISION III
Team
1. AFNORTH 2. Alconbury 3. Spangdahlem
Game-day winner: Alconbury
All-Tournament: Solina Moreno – AFNORTH; Kenya Tucker – Hohenfels; Emily Castano – Spangdahlem; Abby Hudson – Alconbury; Almario Guerrero – Hohenfels; Aspen Williams – Alconbury; Ghianelle Flores – Baumholder; Trinity Burse – Spangdahlem
