DAYTONA, Fla. -- National Champions!  The Vanguard dance team came away with an amazing result from the National Dance Alliance College Nationals Friday, as VU was crowned the NAIA Pom Champion.  In addition, the Lions finished fourth in the Hip Hop category on Saturday. 
 
Vanguard was initially in second after the Pom preliminary round, as the squad scored an 84.5, trailing OUAZ by .5.  Point Park (Pa.) was third with an 83.7 and Aquinas (Mich.) was fourth on an 82.6.  Those were the four squads that qualified for the finals and all four showed improvements.  Both Aquinas and Point Park jumped two points, with Aquinas finishing with an 84.4 and Point Park an 85.1.  But they could not touch the west-coast schools.  While OUAZ improved slightly to an 86.4, VU was better still, as the Lions were rewarded with an 86.7 to claim the title.
 
The Blue and Gold finished fourth out of eight teams in the preliminary round of the Hip Hop section with an 83.25, just ahead of Central Methodist (Mo., 83.22) and a shade behind Roosevelt (Ill. 83.7).  VU, RU, OUAZ, and Oklahoma City all made the finals, which took place on Saturday outside under the band shell.  VU jumped one total point, netting an 84.22 in the final.  OUAZ ended up taking the title with an 85.3, followed by OKCU (85) and RU (84.8).
 
This is the second time the team has gone to one of the Varsity brand/USA Cheer sponsored events, as VU competed at the UDA championship last year.  This is the first championship for the program Head Coach Taylor Smith could not be happier.
 
"This team continues to impress me with their ability to push themselves physically and mentally," she relayed.  "Dance is a subjective sport, but these girls showed the judges that they were hungry and wanted the title."