The biggest event in collegiate-level cheerleading and dance has finally commenced. UDA, the “Dance Superbowl,” was watched more than ever in 2025, due to its increased popularity on social media. I had previously written an article about the results from UDA 2024, but there are now some new national champions, and some familiar faces, from UDA 2025.
Let’s dive into one of the most anticipated divisions: D1A Jazz. This year, over 30 teams were competing for the title of Jazz National Champions, leading to a tight battle for 1st place. Throughout the preliminary and semi-final rounds, The Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota were fighting for the top spot. Ohio State received backlash over falling out of their extremely difficult turn combination and still being ranked in the Top 2. However, OSU worked overtime to perfect their routine, even altering this combination so that they could have a chance to move from 2nd to 1st place in the final round. Their hard work and determination were evident when the Ohio State Buckeyes defended their D1A Jazz title by climbing up a tough path to ultimately finish in first. Ohio State’s routine was completely different than anyone could’ve expected. Their routine, “Bolero,” was a remarkable and original artistic masterpiece, choreographed by the Season 11 winner of So You Think You Can Dance.
Although Minnesota came short of first place in D1A Jazz, they yet again succeeded in taking the internet by storm with their routine This Woman’s Work, choreographed by Tessandra Chavez. Specifically, one dancer that caught social media’s attention is sophomore Ava Wagner. Wagner was dressed in all white, a stark contrast to the rest of the team’s black outfits. She showcased practically the sport’s hardest tricks in combination with the most extreme emotional storytelling. The University of Minnesota not only showed strength and athleticism throughout their jazz routine but also in their pom routine, where they won their 23rd national title and third consecutive pom title. Their pom routine consisted of an impressive silent turn section, where there was a break in music for 20 seconds as the dancers turned, turned, and turned. This stunned the audience, to the point where they even abstained from screaming and cheering just to see the wonder of the UMN Dance Team in their element.
D1A Hip Hop was more intense this year than ever before. Not just the dancing, but also the extreme competition for the first-place title. Many of the scores in this category were extremely close; only half of a point separated second through fourth place. This year, UNLV took the stage by storm, regaining their title after coming in second to the LSU Tiger Girls in 2024. This gave UNLV their sixth D1A Hip Hop championship, making their record one of the greatest in the country. What was even more surprising than their powerful routine was the number of male dancers on their team: nine. This is not only the most their team has ever had, but also the most seen at UDA Nationals this year. UNLV’s inclusive example allows other male dancers to dance in college with less worry that they will be the only ones.
Aside from D1A routines, the D1 routines also saw immense competition, even more than last year. In D1 Jazz and Pom, there was a major shift in the winners. In 2024, Hofstra University won Pom while California State Fullerton won Jazz. This completely changed this year when Cal State Fullerton won their first ever D1 Pom Title, breaking Hofstra’s potential streak. Hofstra University took home the gold for their Jazz routine, featuring peak athleticism with the use of blindfolds in their dance. D1 Hip Hop also saw a major change when Utah Valley University not only broke the University of Delaware’s Dance Team’s three-year winning streak but also managed to secure their first UDA win, though they had previously won in this category at NDA.
UDA Nationals never fails to amaze college dance fans, and now most of social media. I am so excited to see the new dances for 2026 and which incredible dancers will join these collegiate dance teams in the future.
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