From April 10 to 12, the St. Olaf Dance Team competed at the College Classic National Championships in Orlando, Fla. The championships host dance and cheer competitions for various collegiate divisions, such as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) schools, and junior colleges. St. Olaf placed in the top 10 in both Pom and Jazz for Division III schools.
Dance and cheer teams registered to attend the championships in the fall. While at the competition, the teams competed in preliminary, semifinal, and final rounds to determine their championship rankings. Prior to 2026, there was no semifinals round, making it a new addition to the competition this year.
“Because of the increased numbers [of teams], we had to qualify for finals this year — and we did,” Kylee Knettel ’26 said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “We were so excited.”
The St. Olaf Dance Team has no coach, meaning that all practices, choreography, and competition logistics are managed by students.
“We sometimes feel a little bit at a disadvantage to the other teams because we’re student-run, so that was the highlight of the weekend — just making it to finals for both [Pom and Jazz] — because we were not necessarily expecting it,” Morgan Weitzell ’27 said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger.
While at nationals, the team dedicated a significant amount of time to cleaning up their routines and watching other performances. One day, they spent 14 hours at the convention center.
“We were able to see that our scores were going up each round, which was really awesome to [see] that the hours we spent at the convention center changing and cleaning stuff [up] worked,” Knettel said.
Beyond competing, members of the St. Olaf Dance Team viewed their time in Orlando as an opportunity to bond through practices and team traditions.
“Especially when we bring in the freshmen — they’re still kind of uneasy about being on the team, and nationals is the best opportunity to get to know one another,” Isabella Baker ’26 said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “We always go to this one Italian restaurant every year, and it’s all 16 of us at a table, and it’s just crazy.”
Several members of the team are graduating seniors, many of whom have been on the team since their freshman year. Their success at nationals has been cause for reflection.
“I think we just keep improving every year,” Knettel said. “It makes me excited to see what the team does next year.”
“I really think that this year was such a great year for bonding,” Baker added. “The team dynamic was so awesome, and I feel like that is a result of everyone putting their maximum effort into everything.”
While their season may be over, the bond between the dancers remains strong. The team has been staying connected through weekly team dinners and other hangouts.
“I think it shows how supportive we are of each other and how genuine the team bond is, instead of just getting along for the necessity of the team,” Weitzell said. “We’re actually friends, and we actually love each other.”
