Dance Wins Team Performance National Championship as Both Cheer and Dance Win Program Spirit Award at 2023 College Classic

ORLANDO, Fla. – Closing out a phenomenal 2023 competition season, the Baker dance team brought home a team performance National Championship as well as a second and third place finish, while the Baker cheer team took second at the DTU College Classic this past weekend.

In the College Team Performance category, the Baker dance team defeated Graceland University, Calumet College of St. Joseph and Lawrence Technological University, posting a score of 86.43 and winning the National Championship.

Baker dance then competed in the jazz competition, where Baker posted a score of 86.28 and finished second, less than two points behind Avila University who took home first place. Baker then took third place in the Hip Hop competition, finishing behind Avila and Iowa Western Community College with a score of 84.40.

The Baker dance team was not done there as they were then invited to "The Battle", where the top teams battle head-to-head with each other regardless of division.

"Attending this competition is always a great way to end our season," head dance coach Lynsey Payne said. "It's a great experience for the team and this year there were additions that added to it. Winning our division for team dance was incredible. It was also amazing to be invited to the battle for our hip hop routine. You could tell this team was really enjoying their performances and that was reflected in our placements. We improved on our placements at this competition from last year and hope to continue to build on that."

The Baker cheer team also put together two strong performances over the weekend. In the preliminary round, Baker posted a score of 73.40, but then came back in the finals to score a 74.376, almost a full point better than their prelim score. With their score, Baker cheer finished in second place of the All-Girl Cheer competition, finishing behind the University of Louisiana Monroe.

"I'm so proud of how hard this team worked, not just this weekend but all competition season," head cheer coach Melissa Shipman said. "We went in with the goal of outperforming our regular season scores, and we did it, twice! They worked hard and loved each other even harder. These young women gave me one of the best Nationals experiences of my career and I am so thankful to be on this journey with them."

The awards for the weekend weren't done there as both the Baker dance team and the Baker cheer team combined to win the Outstanding Spirit Program Award.

"It was incredible for our cheer and dance teams to win the spirit program award," coach Lynsey Payne said. "Having them there with us and both teams cheering each other on was an incredible experience and something I will never forget."

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