MINNEAPOLIS -- People are calling Minnesota "The State of Dance" after a weekend of domination at UDA Dance Nationals down in Orlando, Florida.
Precision and strength are what earned the University of Minnesota Dance Team their third Pom National Championship in a row. Head coach Amanda Gaines says the routine was about the legacy of this program and all that it takes to uphold it.
The title they took home on Sunday added to their new total of 23 championships for the Gopher Dance Team since 2003.
"This feeling is beyond insane. We are so grateful that we are a part of four of these national championships, and I couldn't have done it without these five [dances] next to me right here," said Taryn Pfeifenberger, referring to her fellow seniors on the team.
The Gophers also stunned the crowd with their jazz routine at nationals. Their ability to do group turns with complete synchronization each time is what makes this team stand out.
Their emotional dance took second to Ohio State by only a sixth of a point.
"To see them put that effort in front of this many people is absolutely amazing," said Jim Leste, a Gopher dance team parent.
"The State of Dance" continued to dominate among seven other schools that competed at UDA Nationals. Minnesota State University - Mankato took home two championships in both jazz and pom. The University of Minnesota Duluth were the runners-up to them in both pom and jazz as well.
"We didn't talk about the win at all this season, all we wanted was to be the best version of ourselves. You could tell how close this team is together, so I think the love that we have for each other is what took us over the edge," said Madison Hebrink, the head coach of MSU-Mankato dance team.
The University of St. Thomas took home second in jazz in their division and St. Cloud State University took home first in game day dance.
For the first time in program history, Gopher Co-Ed Cheer took their first national championship
"We trained them like champions, and they responded," said Dan Weaver, head coach of Gopher Cheer.