The UDA (Universal Dance Association) College National Championship took place on January 16-18 in Orlando, Florida. Collegiate dancers from across the nation work for months on end to get together for two minutes on stage to perform against the judgment of others. There are three main categories that fans wait the entire year to watch, critique, and obsess over. The DIA dance category is one of the most competitive divisions in the entire competition. Competing in this division are schools such as the University of Minnesota, The Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, and, finally, our very own University of Cincinnati, among others. The difference between the D1A division and D1 is that D1A schools are larger in both athletics and general school size.
The popularity of the D1 division has grown, especially this year; Weber State University moved from NDA (National Dance Alliance) Nationals to UDA and did exceptionally well in both D1 Hip Hop and Jazz. One senior on the team, specifically, Carter Williams, was not only practicing for Weber State, but also completing his academics at the university, and performing on the hit T.V. show, Dancing With the Stars as a TROUPE member. In D1 Hip Hop, the team placed first, and in D1 Jazz, they placed 3rd. To medal in both routines, especially at this level, is something that is so rewarding, no matter what place you get.
While the D1 category is just as exciting as the others, there is a major obsession with the D1A category. With dances in the Jazz, Pom, Hip Hop, and Game Day divisions, collegiate teams that are not in the top of the ranks fight hard to get the recognition they deserve. The University of Cincinnati Dance team competed this past weekend and showed the nation that they can compete with the big teams. Placing fifth overall in the D1A Pom division, this is the first time in years that Cincinnati has placed within the top five teams. For the D1A Hip Hop division, the University of Cincinnati left everyone speechless with their Chris Brown, Wall to Wall routine. Going into finals, UCDT was in second place overall. This is significantly better than previous years, being the first time they could have medaled in Hip Hop in a while. But disappointingly, UC dropped to third overall in Finals. This was surprising not only for UC but also for LSU and UNLV, noticing that UNLV jumped from third in the semis to first in finals, and LSU was first in semis and second in the finals.
The University of Cincinnati gave our city the end of our dreams. They were top five in both routines in the nation and showed the United States that Cincy came to play this year. In fact, senior Paige Taylor from UCDT choreographed our very own Oak Hills Oakettes Hip Hop routine. The Oakettes have been placing well for most of their season, earning two first-place wins in this routine. This is not as common as one may think, but the Oakettes are proud to represent OHHS as a school. While the results might not have been exactly what everyone hoped for, the UCDT is proud and happy with how things ended.
Works Cited
“FloSports.” Varsity.com, 2025, tv.varsity.com/events/14479062-2026-uca-uda-college-cheerleading-and-dance-team-national-championship/results/view-all?facets=%7B%22class%22:%22Dance%22. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
