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Gophers dance repeats as pom champions to claim 23rd national title

Minnesota also finished second in the jazz division and claimed its first program national title in cheer.
Nolan O'Hara|
The Gophers dance team celebrates repeating as national champions in the pom division and claiming their 23rd national title at the UCA and UCA College Cheerleading and Dance National Championships on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The Gophers dance team celebrates repeating as national champions in the pom division and claiming their 23rd national title at the UCA and UCA College Cheerleading and Dance National Championships on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. | Gopher Athletics

The Gophers dance team added another national title to its long list of accomplishments.

The Gophers repeated as national champions in the pom division and claimed the program's 23rd national title overall at the Universal Cheerleaders' Association (UCA) and Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Cheerleading and Dance National Championships on Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. On Friday, the Gophers cheer team claimed its first national title in program history by winning first place in the small coed game day division.

Dance and cheer not NCAA-sanctioned sports, but the UCA and UDA hold national competitions for the sports, and the Gophers compete against other Division I programs in the Division IA category. The Gophers received an event score of 98.7462 to finish ahead of second-place Ohio State (97.5079) and third-place Tennessee (96.9206) in Division IA pom.

Minnesota became a viral sensation last year for its national title-winning pom routine. This year's was every bit as special.

The Gophers were already drawing rave reviews for their pom routine during the semifinals, which took place Saturday.

The Gophers also finished in second place in Division IA in the jazz division with an event score of 96.6825. The Buckeyes claimed the national title in jazz (97.2857), while Michigan came in third place (93.8095).

In addition to claiming the Division IA national title in the small coed game day division, the Gophers cheer team also finished in second place in the small coed cheer division with an event score of 85, just behind Bowling Green (85.6).

Goldy the Gopher finished in fourth place in the mascot category with an event score of 91.94, coming in behind Cincinnati Bearcat (93.44), Tennessee's mascot, Smokey (93.24), and Auburn's Aubie the Tiger (92.44).

The Gophers have 28 combined titles at UCA/UDA national championships, including the 23 in dance and one in cheer.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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