The events took place in Daytona, Florida.

A total of three Triton dance routines qualified for NDA Nationals, as they competed in hip hop, pom and spirit rally divisions.

Iowa Central, which won the state championship in pom, placed second at nationals, while the hip hop routine was fourth.

“To take three routines to the biggest dance competition in the country is no easy feat,” Iowa Central Dance Team head coach Cassidy Vermeer. “And to go out and compete at the level that they did is a huge accomplishment.”

-Submitted photo
The Iowa Central Community College cheer team (pictured) and dance team earned several top finishes while competing recently at nationals.

With a total of 90.4571, the Tritons placed only behind Blinn College for the pom title. They scored nearly a point better in finals compared to prelims.

“Our pom routine is jam-packed with a lot of skills,” assistant coach Stephanie Sibenaller said. “It’s the same routine we performed at state, but we took it and made it more difficult with a new turn sequence and end sequence.

“The fact that these dancers can execute skills at such a high level says a lot about them. Pom was a tough division, and we are very happy with how we ended up.”

In hip hop, the Tritons recorded a score of 87.9429, placing behind McLennan, Odessa and Utah State University-Eastern. They improved upon their prelim score in the division.

The Triton cheer team finished second in small co-ed with the large co-ed placing third at NCA College National Championships. They were also third in spirit rally for the opening division.

“Large co-ed is one of the hardest divisions cheer has to offer,” Iowa Central head cheer coach Amanda Murphy said. “You can only grow outside of your comfort zone and that is why we made the change to the advanced division; we’ve stepped up our game and are making Iowa Central known.

“It is also the first year we’ve had a small intermediate team and want to make an impact on that division as well.”

Iowa Central was just behind Dodge City for the small co-ed title, scoring a 91.581. Dodge City had a total of 94.4306.

In large co-ed, the Tritons placed behind Trinity Valley and Navarro. The University of Texas topped Iowa Central in spirit rally.