As you may have seen, the Universal Dance Association College Nationals took place Friday January 17th to Sunday the 19th at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at The Walt Disney World Resort. Whether you watched it live or saw videos of the teams routines while scrolling on TikTok, it is safe to say that there were many impressive performances. But which were the best….? While technically the winners of this competition have already been established, I have decided to give honorable mentions to some of my favorites.
Before I list them, I have some helpful information to share in order to understand the scoring. Each team is given an event score and a raw score. The raw score is the unadjusted, initial score which is only based off of their performance criteria. This means that difficulty, scaling, and normalization adjustments are not taken into account for. The event score is the final, adjusted score which includes changes based off of weighting, penalties, bonus points, and difficulty level of their performance. For example, the scoring is out of one hundred but a team can earn more than that depending on what bonus points they earned. Some categories such as choreography, difficulty, and execution can be weighted differently, resulting in a score above one hundred. In addition to this information the teams compete in Jazz, Hip-Hop, Pom, and Game-day categorical routines. There also is a qualification process that includes either competing at regional competitions or submitting a video entry. Once accepted, the teams compete in preliminary rounds and based on their scores it is determined whether they are able to move onto semi finals, and/or finals.
1. Number one goes to the Ohio State jazz, but only in their finals because their preliminary round was horrible some might even say bad for a “high school
dance team.” However, after changing their turn sequence they were able to nail their finals performance placing them in first place in division 1A jazz. Overall, their dance was different and cool to watch and it looked like no other team would be able to pull it off like they did. For reference they ended up scoring a 102.15 as a raw score and a 97.2857 as their event score.
2. In second place we have Minnesota’s jazz because they had the best story and although they didn’t win finals, their prelims were super impressive and overall amazing performances. Because of this, a lot of people thought they would even win especially with the emotions associated with their routine. In the finals, they did mess up a lift but overall I think that their other performances made up for that. This team ended up with a raw score of 101.5167 and event score of 96.6825.
3. Third place goes to Minnesota’s pom routine because they were just so clean and and honestly no mistakes were made, making it a perfect performance. They ended placing first in the division 1A Poms finals and received a raw score of 103.4 and an event score of 98.4762.
4. Fourth place goes to Ohio State pom. I originally even thought that their performance was better than Minnesota’s at first, and the way that their poms turned into nunchucks at the end was really unique and fun to watch. They ended up receiving a raw score of 102.3833 and an event score of 97.5079 to put them in second place of the division 1A Poms finals. 
5. In fifth I think that I would say LSU’s hip hop. The umbrellas they used were very interesting and even though a couple of them broke, costing them a lot of points in the end it was still a cool performance and routine. They placed sixth in the hip hop finals and were given a raw score of 95.8333 and an event score of 91.2698.
6. University of Tennessee would got in sixth place for me because I think their dance would’ve been a lot better if their costumes weren’t so ugly. However, other than that their dancing was really good! They received a raw score of 97.3833 and an event score of 92.746.
7. Finally we have University of South Carolina’s jazz performance. This team honestly could’ve tied with the University of Tennessee but since it was their first year competing in the Division One A category and at the Universal Dance Association in general, it didn’t feel appropriate to rank them so high because you never know if it was just beginners luck. Despite this, I think that in the next couple of years they could really take over some of the top schools. In addition to their jazz dance, I think the music they chose went perfectly with the choreography and made the routine flow so well.
They ended up receiving a raw score of 92.4333 and an event score of 88.0317, which put them in eleventh place.
With another amazing year of UDA College Nationals in the books, it’s clear that the competition continues to push the boundaries of dance excellence. From jaw-dropping jazz routines to high-energy pom and hip-hop performances, these teams left it all on the floor, showcasing their talent, precision, and passion. While the official rankings are set and may differ from mine, these honorable mentions highlight the unforgettable moments that had fans talking long after the performances ended. Each of these teams were able to bring something new to the stage and show off what they had been working so hard towards. As we look ahead, next year’s UDA Nationals are projected to occur through January 16th-18th again at the Orlando, Florida Walt Disney World Resort. Its evident that these thrilling teams have set the bar high, which makes the anticipation for the next year all the more exciting. I, along with many others, hope to see these teams back next year and better than ever and I hope everyone enjoyed and can agree with most of these honorable mentions.
