Despite not having a coach or advisor during the competition season, the Lionettes continued their tradition of excellence at the national level. The group took third place at the National Dance Alliance College Nationals in Daytona today.

The Lionettes competed in College Nationals’ Division IA in the team dance category, which includes three technical dance styles: jazz, hip-hop, and pom. In the final round, groups were scored in 13 different categories — including execution and choreography of the different dance styles, technique, visuals, staging, degree of difficulty, uniforms, and performance improvement from the preliminary round.

Only three-tenths of a point separated the top three groups in the finals. University of Louisville’s dance team took first place with a score of 9.711, Iowa State came in second with a score of 9.494, and the Lionettes came in third with a score of 9.483.

Going into the competition, Penn State, Louisville, Iowa, and South Carolina were considered four of the strongest squads. South Carolina came in fourth place with a score of 9.414.

The Lionettes shared their excitement on their Facebook page.

You can watch the team’s stellar performance online.