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UNO Dance Team Wins Second National Championship Title

The UNO Dance Team showed their Maverick Spirit this weekend at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Nationals, where they won their second national championship title.

  • published: 2022/01/21
  • contact: Tavion Davis - University Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
The UNO Dance Team shows off the new championship hardware at the 2022 Universal Dance Association national championship where they secured their second national championship.

The UNO Dance Team shows off the new championship hardware at the 2022 Universal Dance Association national championship where they secured their second national championship.

The Maverick Spirit can be described as a state of exemplifying strength, resilience, curiosity, independent thinking, and entrepreneurism in everyday deeds and collective endeavors. The UNO Dance Team showed their Maverick Spirit this weekend at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Nationals, where they won their second national championship title.

“This is truly a passion project for me. I have been the coach of this team for seven seasons now, and to see them continue to shine on the national level is truly exciting,” UNO Dance Team Coach Mo Marmesh said. “We have reached a point where dancers from out of state want to be a part of our program and join the Maverick family.”

This team of Mavericks earned their first-ever national championship in 2021 when they competed virtually, but this year marks their first in-person win.

“After being told that we would not be competing in person I felt like we never would be able to again; with all that is happening in the world right now it was a big shock to be told we were going to be able to go to Florida to compete,” UNO Dance Team Captain Joslyn Griffiths said.

Griffiths and her teammates knew this year was going to be special. After winning nationals, virtually, last year they knew the opportunities would be endless in-person.

“Something that contributed to this year's win was the team's determination and work ethic. A pattern that I believe helped lead us to success was taking the time to record videos and share them to get corrections. At every practice and every video, everyone was pushed to their fullest potential,” UNO Dance Team Co-Captain Brooke Peterson said.

As a senior, Griffiths knew this would be her last time competing with the UNO Dance teammates.

“Knowing that this team could be the first to make UNO history, winning an in-person national championship at UDA was special. It made us fight for our scores and even more enjoy every single second we spent together throughout the whole year,” Griffiths said.

In addition to their second championship title, the dance team also won third and fourth place in their Division I Pom and Jazz performances, respectfully.

The full championship-winning performance can be viewed on the Omaha Dance Team Instagram.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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