ORLANDO, Fla. – The Rogers State Dance team earned a third-place finish at the Universal Dance Association College National Championships Wednesday (April 28) night at Walt Disney World Resort.
 
"I am so proud of my team throughout this entire process," said head coach Amy Alt. "They have persevered through one of the most difficult seasons we have ever had and they continued to push towards this goal no matter what obstacle we faced. Their perseverance, work ethic, joy and passion they brought to every single practice and into this Nationals performance is so inspiring."
 
The Hillcats, who had nine girls compete in the event, finished on the podium in the Open-Hip Hop Division with a third-place finish, the highest ever finish for the Hillcats at the UDA College National Championships.
 
"I am grateful to coach such a special group of young women that represent our program and university in such an incredible way," added Alt. "We made history for our dance program at the most competitive competition in the world and I couldn't be more excited for the growth of our dance program."
 
Rogers State earned a spot in the national championship finals after placing in the top three in their semifinal round on Tuesday night, scoring a performance score of 82.4000.
 
In the finals, the Hillcats scored an 82.3417 to finish third overall behind national champion Lindenwood (89.9000) and Stockton (85.7833). The Hillcats finished nearly four points ahead of fourth place McKendree (78.3584).
 
"We had several of our team member's families and friends that made the trip to Orlando to support our girls and so many other Hillcat fans watching online," added Alt. "We were so supported and loved all week and we can't thank everyone enough. And a special thank you to Jackie, our amazing choreographer, and to our university for its support of our program and for allowing us to attend such an amazing event."