Known as the “Super Bowl” of college dance, the Universal Dance Association’s annual college competition took place between January 16-18 in Orlando, Florida. Teams can choose to compete in two of the following categories: Jazz, pom, and hip hop. In addition to any (or none) of those genres, they can also compete in game day.
Wrapping It Up
Throughout the weekend, spectators were in for some surprises! The D1A finals results are already stirring up some controversy, and the awards just aired a few hours ago as of this writing. But one thing is clear: these kids work hard, and they deserve respect and admiration for the countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears they invest into those two minutes onstage.
Honestly, I am always in awe of how these coaches, choreographers, and dancers raise the bar each year. I so look forward to this weekend, and will be watching videos of the dancers for the months to come.
I compiled the results of the weekend into a spreadsheet so that we can more easily see how D1A, D1, and Open division teams fared across categories. You might catch some interesting items when you look at the spreadsheet – there are always teams that flip-flop postions from semis into finals!
For clarity, I did NOT include jazz preliminaries. First, teams were split up into “A” and “B” sets, which made it difficult to combine them for rankings. Secondly, assimilating them into one score set would not necessarily represent how they would have placed, since different judges were used to evaluate the “A’s” vs. the “B’s.”
The D1A Division
The D1A category did not disappoint! What’s interesting is that ALL 4 category champions were repeats of last year. Ohio State took jazz for the fourth year in a row, and Minnesota did the same for pom. If you can’t see the graphic, use the Canva public view link here to view it up close.
The D1 Division
Grand Canyon placed 6th in the jazz finals last year, and climbed all the way to the top for 2026. Cal State Fullerton repeated their pom championship, overcoming semi-finals winner UC Santa Barbara. One of the big stories coming out of D1 this year was Weber State University’s debut in UDA, which was nothing less than spectacular! They placed 3rd in jazz and first in hip-hop, capping off an impressive weekend. Last year’s silver medalist in Game Day, Southeastern Louisiana, became champions in 2026. For a closer look, head here.
The Open Division
Minnesota State – Mankato took first in both the jazz and pom divisions this yearm a very impressive feat! Northwest Community College repeated their national championship in hip-hop, and Endicott took home the gold for Game Day. For a closer look, head here.
Great job to all the teams, and can’t wait to see everyone next year!
