UMD News Releases

On Friday, April 13, the UMD Dance Team won second place in the 2011 National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance (NCA/NDA) Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship in Daytona, Florida. The dance routine included Hip-Hop, Pom, and Jazz with Johnette Rutledge as the choreographer.

The UMD Dance Team practices year-round without a coach. They perform at basketball, football, and hockey games with team captains conducting the practices and performances. Through local fundraising efforts—car washes, garage sales, and an annual dance show—the team raises enough money to compete in the NCA/NDA competition.

Liberal arts student and dance team captain, Jillian Kadrlik, said "Being the first dance team from UMD to get second place at nationals is a huge accomplishment. I couldn't be more proud of the team and how hard we worked to reach our goal. We went to Daytona ready to achieve something great and I definitely think we did just that."

The NCA/NDA competition included eight collegiate teams: Winona State University, Mankato State University, Grand Valley State University (Michigan), Bellarmine University of Louisville (Kentucky), University of Nebraska Omaha, Stonehill College (Massachusetts), University of Southern Indiana, and Bentley University (Massachusetts).

Tryouts for the 2011-2012 UMD Dance Team are Saturday, April 30 at 12 p.m. in Gym Room 150 A on the UMD campus. For the team website, see http://www.umddanceteam.webs.com/