The University of Newcastle’s (UoN) Whitehawks snared gold recently at the 2025 AASCF NSW State Championships Cheer & Dance at Sydney Olympic Park.

It’s the second major win they’ve achieved in the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation’s competition season, having prevailed in the AASCF Battle in August.

UoN Cheer and Dance club president Sam Compston said the victory reinforced the team’s status as the best in NSW.

“We are consistently coming first, and we often place in the top two at nationals,” she explained.

“We’re the only regional university to place at nationals, which is pretty cool.”

With 22 years of dancing and an advanced diploma in dance, Compston started cheerleading when she enrolled at the University of Newcastle.

“I’ve been doing cheer for four years now,” she

See Full Page