ORLANDO – The UCF cheer and dance teams wrapped up competition at the 2026 UCA & UCD College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship on Sunday. For the 22nd time in the last 31 years, Spirit Head Coach Linda Gooch piloted the Knights to a top three finish.
UCF cheer earned a spot on the podium with a second-place finish, earning a raw score of 89.6 and finishing with the least amount of deductions of any team to perform in the Division IA Finals. The Knights’ final score of 89.1 put them on the wrong side of a 0.1 point decision for the national championship, as South Florida took the title with an 89.2 posted score after a one point deduction. The Knights finished ahead of 24-time national champion Kentucky who earned a third-place finish at 87.9.
The national runner-up nod for UCF cheer improved upon its fifth-place finish of 2025, making the 2026 finals the 27th top five finish for the Black and Gold. UCF remains tied for the second-most titles in the 49-year history of the competition, raising trophies in 2003, 2007, 2020 and 2024.
Another podium finish for @UCF_CheerTeam 🏆
— UCF Knights 🌴 (@UCFKnights) January 19, 2026
They place second at UCA Nationals in DIA Cheer! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jHCYqhg4Nb
UCF dance earned a fifth-place finish in the 2026 DIA Dance Hip Hop Finals, posting a score of 93.3833. The mark was less than 0.4 behind the fourth-place finisher and 1.6667 behind a spot on the podium. UNLV took the title with a score of 97.3833.
The past three seasons has seen the dance team earn its best three hip hop finishes in program history. 2024 saw the Knights finish fifth, the highest at the time before the 2025 hip hop routine got UCF on the podium at third place. This year’s final saw UCF match their 2024 placement.
UCF WEEKEND RECAP AT A GLANCE
Friday, Jan. 16
- DIA Cheer Gameday Semifinals – Third place, scoring 93.9667, advanced to finals
- DIA Dance Jazz Prelims – Eighth place, scoring 88.9167, advanced to semifinals
- DIA Cheer Gameday Finals – Third place, scoring 94.2667
Saturday, Jan. 17
- DIA Cheer Coed Semifinals – Third place, scoring 88.4, advanced to finals
- DIA Dance Jazz Semifinals – 16th place, scoring 88.3
- DIA Dance Hip Hop Semifinals – Fourth place, scoring 93.3833, advanced to finals
Sunday, Jan. 18
- DIA Dance Hip Hop Finals – Fifth place, scoring 93.3833
- DIA Cheer Coed Finals – Second place, scoring 89.1
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.