University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Spirit Program Excels at National Championship Competition
January 20, 2019 | Cheer, Dance & Mascots
ORLANDO, Fla. -Â After three days of competition against universities from across the country, Tennessee's cheer, dance, and mascot teams garnered national prominence as all three finished in the top-five at the College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando.Â
The Vols Spirit Program was one of only two in the nation to have all three teams finish in the top-five of Division 1A and was the only program from the Southeastern Conference to accomplish this feat. Ohio State was the only other program to do so.
Smokey, a three-time national champion, returned to the top-five after a ten year absence placing fifth for the first time since 2009. The five-time national champion dance team placed second in game day competition and fourth in jazz routine, while the cheer team matched a program-best second place finish in game day competition followed by a 13th place finish in traditional routine competition. Each team competed in finals after placing high enough in semi-finals to compete for the championship in their respective division.
Most impressive for the entire program is the improvement each team made over last year. Smokey improved from 10th in 2018 to fifth in 2019, cheer improved game day from 10th to second and traditional routine from 24th to 13th, and dance improved from seventh to fourth in the jazz division.Â
Both cheer and dance teams also came close to securing national titles. Out of 100 possible points, Vols Cheer was just 1.3 points away from first in the game day division. The dance team was also just 1.3 points from the gold medal in jazz routine, as the top-four teams were separated by one of the slimmest margins in history.
"Last year was not a representation of who we are as a program," said senior cheerleader Kyle Blevens. "That motivated us to come to practice every day this year to improve as a team. We tried to lay down a foundation and strong culture that can be built upon here at Tennessee to take it to the next level."
255 teams from colleges and universities in 42 states and 10 countries competed in the various divisions of the competition, which is hosted by the Universal Cheerleading Association and Universal Dance Association.
Mascot Division 1A Final Results
1. The Ohio State University - "Brutus Buckeye"
2. University of Minnesota - "Goldy Gopher"
3. University of Colorado Boulder - "Chip"
4. Auburn University - "Aubie"
5. University of Tennessee - "Smokey"
6. University of Wisconsin - "Bucky Badger"
7. Pennsylvania State-University Park - "Nittany Lion"
8. University of Washington - "Harry"
9. The University of Oklahoma - "Boomer"
10. Liberty University - "Sparky"
Dance Team Division 1A Game Day Final Results
1. University of Nevada - Las Vegas
2. University of Tennessee
3. Washington State University
4. University of Iowa
5. (tie) University of Oklahoma
5. (tie) University of Kentucky
6. Michigan State University
7. University of Memphis
8. University of Louisiana
9. Temple University
10. University of Alabama - Birmingham
Dance Team Division 1A Jazz Final Results
1. University of Minnesota
2. The Ohio State University
3. Arizona State University
4. University of Tennessee
5. Washington State University
6. University of Michigan
7. Pennsylvania State-University Park
8. Louisiana State University
9. Florida State University
10. Rutgers University
11. University of Alabama
12. San Diego State University
13. Michigan State University
Cheer Division 1A Game Day Final Results
1. University of Central Florida
2. University of Tennessee
3. University of Cincinnati
4. University of Mississippi
5. San Diego State University
6. Washington State University
7. Miami University-Oxford
8. University of Washington
9. University of New Mexico
10. University of Minnesota
Cheer Division 1A Routine Final Results
1. University of Kentucky
2. The Ohio State University
3. University of Alabama
4. University of South Florida
5. University of Oklahoma
6. University of Central Florida
7. Liberty University
8. University of Louisiana
9. University of Cincinnati
10. University of Minnesota
11. Louisiana State University
12. Western Kentucky University
13. University of Tennessee
14. University of Washington
15. Washington State
Players Mentioned
