SLU’s dance and cheer teams brought home gold on Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) and Universal Cheer Association (UCA) nationals in Orlando, Florida, both competing and winning in the D1 Game Day categories.
Every year, the two spirit teams travel to Orlando for the college dance and cheer national championships, which they refer to as their “Super Bowl.” The competition is streamed on ESPN+, and over 100 college teams from across the country participate.
Each team dealt with changes and adversity on its road to victory, such as the cheer team, which welcomed 30 new members this year.
SLU’s dance team, the Lionettes, competed in D1 Game Day, D1 Jazz and D1 Hip-Hop at the UDA nationals. The team won Game Day with an average score of 92.35.
Choreographed by Head Coach Layla Ruffin, Olivia Graziano, and Amajhai Reed, the routine resembles what an authentic SLU football game looks like for the Lionettes—starting with their all-American fight song routine, transitioning to a touchdown chant, followed by a sideline performance and finishing with a high-energy, Louisiana-style third-quarter dance.
After this year’s win, they hold two D1 Hip-Hop titles, achieved in 2018 and 2021 and two D1 Game Day national champion titles, achieved in 2024 and 2026.
Ruffin said she wanted to create a program built on trust, consistency and pride.
“Wins matter, but developing resilient, disciplined performers who believe in themselves and the program matters most,” said head coach Layla Ruffin.
According to Ruffin, the Lionettes sustained numerous injuries leading up to the big competition, and even had to rework routines the week before leaving for Orlando.
“My freshman year, we won Game Day, and in my sophomore [year], we came in second. When injuries arose, those expectations shifted from focusing solely on winning to focusing on surviving the season as a team,” Baker said.
What sets this group of girls apart, though, is how they respond to adversity, according to Graziano.
She said, “When challenges arose, they took the time to sit in it, reflect, pray and move forward with clarity and intention. They trusted the direction of the coaching staff and embraced the path ahead without hesitation.”
SLU cheer welcomed 30 new members this year who had to work hard to catch up with the current team, according to Director of Spirit Hearrt Williams, who said, “They kept their heads high and continued to persevere even when it seemed there was no way through.”
SLU Cheer competed in D1 All Girl, D1 Small Coed and D1 Game Day at UCA nationals. For Game Day, they finished finals in first place with an average score of 91.6333.
This routine features the traditional Southeastern fight song, high-energy chanting with sign work and megaphones, tumbling and stunts. After this year’s win, they hold five recent D1 Game Day national champion titles, achieved in 2021 and consecutively from 2023 to 2026.
This successful team is led by Director of Spirit Hearrt Williams and Co-ed Skills Coach Brandon Rami.
“My intentions this year were to bring successful routines to college nationals, along with creating relationships with athletes that go beyond cheer. I wanted to make sure I was implementing life lessons when I could for the athletes to become better versions of themselves when cheer is all said and done,” Williams said.
Third-year veteran Megyn Gauthier said, “It was difficult, but it is never going to be easy. What makes us champions is how hard we push through adversity and the struggles that aren’t glamorous, but we do it because we love it, and once you win, it’s so worth it.”
According to Gauthier, she has experienced winning at UCA all three years on the team, so her expectations were high going into the nationals season.
If you would like to view these routines, check out both teams’ Instagrams for the full videos: @lionuplionettes and @lionupcheer.
