Submitted photo: The Iowa Central dance program poses with their 2021 NJCAA national championship hardware in Daytona Beach, Fla.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For the first time in program history, the Iowa Central Dance Team is bringing home a national championship.

The Tritons claimed the open Hip Hop division at the NDA Collegiate Dance Championships on Saturday, following in the footsteps of the Iowa Central cheer team on the golden road.

In the finals, the Tritons recorded a team score of just over 89, nearly three full points ahead of Johnson County. They had a raw score of 62.5 and zero deductions, following up a prelim score of 87.4 that included a half-point deduction.

“This team has had to overcome so many obstacles this year,” said Iowa Central head coach Cassidy (O’Brion) Vermeer, a Fort Dodge Senior High graduate. “We are so incredibly proud of their grit, relentless hard work, dedication to our goals and indescribable talent.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our girls.”

This marked the first time Iowa Central has competed in two routines at nationals, as they were also third with their best score ever in the Team Performance division.

The Tritons had a score of 89.24, coming in just behind Blinn and McLennan.

“Our routine was choreographed by the remarkable Cheryle Passalacqua and we knew from the first day of choreography that this routine would go far,” Vermeer said. “Our other routine was choreographed by the incredible Dani Eustice and we are so grateful for her time and talent.”