(Photo by @UDAdance on Instagram)
The University of St. Thomas Dance Team placed first in the Open Division Hip Hop category at the Universal Dance Association College Nationals in Orlando, Florida, Jan. 16-17, earning its 10th national championship since 2006 and its third consecutive win in hip-hop. The team also placed second in the Open Division Jazz category.
The UDA competition is the largest national collegiate championship in the United States and is attended annually by teams from around the nation. The Open Division includes Divisions II and III, and smaller schools. Schools are limited to competition in two categories. Prior to this year, the Tommies placed first in jazz in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and in hip-hop in 2011, 2014 and 2015.
2015-16 team members are seniors Sydney Borchert, Alex Brown, Hanna Brown, Eve Byron, Morgan McGowan, Kelly Olson, Jackie Schneider and Ari Vazquez; juniors Sydni Grover, Megan Kaveney and Mikayla Larson; sophomores Maddi Adams, Drew Geck, Chloe Gilbreth, Hailey Nerison, Rachel Rue and Annie Vitale; and freshmen Mackenzie Davidge, Alli Getz, Krista Kronlokken and Alexis McHale.
Watch the Tommies' winning routine (as performed at the University of Minnesota Best of the Best dance show on Jan. 8):
Results from this year's competition:
- University of St. Thomas
- Lindenwood University
- West Chester University
- University of Puerto Rico – Bayamon
- St. Joseph's College
- Westfield State University
- College of New Jersey
- Long Island University
- Keene State College
Jazz
- Minnesota State University, Mankato
- University of St. Thomas
- Lindenwood University
- University of Central Oklahoma
- Orange Coast College
- St. Cloud State University
- West Chester University
- University of California, San Diego
- St. Joseph's College
- Grand Canyon University
- Northwest Missouri State University
- Avila University
- Endicott College
- Bridgwater State University
The team began its season in August when the dancers attended the nation's largest collegiate dance and cheer summer camp at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, where they took first place in the camp’s home routine competition.
Watch the Tommies’ first-place camp routine:
Read more about the St. Thomas Dance Team on its website.
