UK Cheerleaders Win 24th National Title; Dance Team in Top 12 National Finishes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky cheerleaders won their 24th national championship at the Universal Cheerleaders Association finals competition Sunday night, January 20 in Orlando, Fla. Competing among the Division IA Coed squads, this year's win was the fourth in a row for Kentucky cheerleaders under Coach Jomo Thompson. Although Kentucky has won 24 championships in the last 35 years, it is only the second time that UK has strung together a quadruple triumph. The Wildcats won a school-record eight straight from 1995-2002. Kentucky won its first national crown in 1985, also winning in 1987-88, 1992, 1995-2002, 2004-06, 2008-10, 2012, 2014 and 2016-19. The cheerleaders and dance team will be honored Saturday during the men's basketball game vs. Kansas. The dance team was entered in three categories over the weekend, placing fifth (Game Day competition), sixth (Hip-Hop) and 12th (Pom)

at the 2019 Universal Dance Association championship finals held in Orlando, Fla. So that means the dance team completed a trio of top-12 national finishes during the weekend.

Slotted in Division IA, the Wildcat dancers reached the top six in Hip-Hop for the fourth year in a row. The highest finish for the team over the weekend came on Friday, as Coach Dawn Walters’ squad was fifth nationally in the Game Day category. On Saturday, the Wildcats landed 12th in the Pom competition.

Photos by Jamie H. Vaught and Mike Cyrus