A young group of Ocala athletes just claimed victory in the most prestigious and competitive cheerleading competition in the world for Division II programs.
Ocala Athletix (OAX) celebrated a historic performance at the 2026 D2 Summit Championship, which was held from May 8 through May 10 at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
For the first time in OAX’s history, every eligible team from the program advanced to the finals, according to a brief statement issued by the organization.
Leading the pack was Code Red, which was crowned Summit Champions.
Code Red was followed closely by the Red Angel team, which secured a second-place finish in its grouping.
Rounding out the program’s success, J Heat finished in 11th place and the Aces finished in 15th place.
The D2 Summit is an exclusive event created by Varsity All Star specifically for small cheerleading programs. To qualify for the competition, a program must be classified as Division II, which is defined as having 125 or fewer registered “Elite” and “Prep” competitive athletes across an entire program.
This classification is based on the total program size at a single location rather than the size of an individual team.
The event was originally inspired by the National Small Program Association (NSPA), which was founded in 2014 to help build and grow successful small gyms across the country.
In a statement following the victory, Ocala Athletix expressed immense pride in the athletes’ Season 8 performances, citing their hard work, dedication, resilience, and heart.
The organization noted that while this season was unforgettable, they are already “hungry” and looking forward to Season 9.
For more information on the group and its accomplishments, visit Ocala Athletix online. Share your words of encouragement and congratulations for these stellar Ocala athletes in a comment below or through a letter to the editor.