CHICAGO – A busy week in Roosevelt Athletics is highlighted by the cheer and dance teams' annual trip to the National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance nationals in Daytona Beach, Fla.

It is the dawn of a new era for both programs as the Lakers step into the Division II competition for the first time after dominating the NAIA space the past few years. The cheer squad will face 24 other teams in the Intermediate Small Coed division as Roosevelt looks to capture a fourth straight national championship. The Lakers will compete in the preliminary round on Friday at 5:30 p.m. then will get their chance at glory on Saturday in the finals. The timeline for the finals will be determined later this week due to forecasted weather in Daytona Beach. 

The dance team will start the competition Thursday with its team routine at 6:40 p.m. in the preliminary round. However, unlike cheer in which all teams advance to the final, only the top 60 percent of teams will advance to Friday's final. Prior to the team final, the Lakers hip-hop squad will look to repeat as national champion in the preliminary round at 8:13 a.m. If the Lakers are in the top 60 percent of the hip-hop field, then they will dance for the title Saturday morning.

All of the action will be streamed on Varsity.TV, which is included in your FloCollege subscription.  

Softball

The Roosevelt softball team (7-23, 1-9 GLIAC) has a busy week ahead of them, first playing host to Grand Valley State (17-13, 7-1 GLIAC) for a Wednesday doubleheader this week, a series that was originally supposed to take place March 22nd. The Lakers will then host Wayne State (12-15, 4-6 GLIAC) on Friday, with the doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m. Roosevelt will then wrap up the six-game homestand against Saginaw Valley State (19-9, 9-1 GLIAC) on Sunday, with first pitch slated for noon.

Men's Volleyball

The Lakers men's volleyball team (14-8, 6-4 GLVC) will play its final two matches of the season at the Goodman Center, as they prepare to face Jamestown (6-21, 0-10 GLVC). Friday's matchup will take place at 6:00 p.m., while first serve is slated for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday with Mark Zmojdzin set to be honored on Senior Day.

Baseball

For the first time this season, the Roosevelt baseball team (9-20, 0-6 GLIAC) will play at home, starting off with a game against Lewis (14-17, 8-6 GLVC) on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. The two teams met earlier this season on March 24th, with the Flyers winning 7-0. The Lakers will then play host to No. 10 Grand Valley State (26-6, 6-2 GLIAC) for a four-game set starting Friday at 3:00 p.m. The teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game slated to begin at 1:00 p.m., before wrapping up the series on Sunday at noon.

Men's and Women's Track and Field

The men's and women's track and field programs will head to Elmhurst, Illinois, for the Chicagoland Championships, with the three-day event starting Thursday. 

Men's and Women's Tennis

The men's (6-11, 1-3 GLIAC) and women's (7-10, 0-4 GLIAC) tennis teams will make the trek up to Michigan this week as they head toward the end of the season. The Lakers will first take on Ferris State on Friday before heading to Detroit to face Wayne State on Saturday.