Brother Martin High School Set To Compete In Division I in 2027

The 5x National Champions are taking on a new challenge this season. Brother Martin High School is set to compete in Division I at the 2027 National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, FL.

Brother Martin High School has built an impressive legacy competing at the National High School Cheerleading Championship. They've brought home the title five different times: 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026. They've also claimed the top spot in two different divisions - both Medium Varsity Coed ('20, '21, '24) and Large Varsity Coed ('25, '26). The program is excited for this new opportunity, but the focus remains on the goal at hand to bring home another National Championship.

"A new division doesn’t change who we are — it reveals it," Blake Mulligan said, the head coach of Brother Martin High School cheer. "Our work ethic, our confidence, and our relentless pursuit of a 4th straight National Championship remain the same. We’ve built this program to compete with anyone, anywhere."

The team has historically competed in the Division II category. These championship divisions are aligned by school size. Division II schools feature programs with 1–1,399 students, while Division I schools feature programs with 1,400+ students. Brother Martin's switch to Division I comes after a new rule was made for single gender schools.

The new rule states that, "Single gender schools must provide a letter from administration outlining how athletes from co-operative schools are eligible for athletics representing one school. Enrollment must be submitted for all schools from which student-athletes are represented on the team. DI/DII classification outline will be finalized in UCA Rules & Scoring updates that will be released in late spring."

Brother Martin High School is an all-male school, however, the team is able to compete with girls from the neighboring area Catholic high schools. The program currently pulls from three girls' schools, so the new rule allows the program to include those enrollment numbers for Division I classification.

There's a lot for the program to be excited about, but the team is choosing to remain consistent and treat everything like business as usual.

"The only things changing are the music and the year hanging from the castle," Mulligan said.

The 2027 Division I National School Spirit Championships are set to take place February 4-7, 2027, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at The Walt Disney World Resort. The National School Spirit Championships feature the National High School Cheerleading Championship, National Dance Team Championship, and the National School Band Championship.