
If there is a dynasty in the galaxy of Gopher Athletics, it’s the University of Minnesota Spirit Squad, which is made up of the cheer and dance teams plus Goldy Gopher, the mascot.
Heading into competition this past weekend, the squad had combined for 26 national championships. Twenty-two of those had come from the dance team—in the Jazz and Pom divisions—with the other four going to the irrepressible (and talented) Goldy.
That storied tradition has now grown richer, as the U of M Spirit Squad just added two more national championships at the 2025 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championships in Orlando. The Gophers walked away with titles in Cheer (Small Coed Game Day) and Dance (Pom).
It marks the program's first-ever title in Cheer and now the 23rd in Dance—increasing the total to 28 combined UCA/UDA national championships.
Minnesota opened competition on Friday with the big win in Cheer (Small Coed Game Day), besting San Diego State and Penn State. The Gophers also finished runner-up in the category of Small Coed Cheer.
For the cheer team, the title was a long time coming after finishing runner-up a few times and in the top five many more. (It’s also a fitting honor for the oldest cheerleading program in the nation.)
The U of M dance team then continued its dominance on Sunday evening, winning the championship in the Pom division. It was the Gophers’ third-straight Pom title, with Ohio State and Tennessee finishing second and third. The team finished second in Jazz behind Ohio State for the second year in a row.
Goldy Gopher finished fourth nationally in the Mascot division, with Cincinnati (Bearcat), Tennessee (Smokey), and Auburn (Aubie) placing first, second, and third, respectively.
Furthering the dance dynasty
The dance team is hardly a secret to Gopher sports fans near and far. When announced as national champions and performing at football or basketball games, the team receives rapt attention and loud ovations. It doesn’t hurt that last year’s runner-up performance in Jazz—to Aerosmith’s “Dream On”—became a viral video sensation.
So there was a heightened sense of expectation as the Jazz and Pom dancers competed in Orlando. In two-plus decades, Jazz had always been one of the top-three finishers, while Pom had 11 championships in 15 years.
“There is a lot of pressure that comes with that, but they handled it really well,” says dance coach Amanda Gaines, who spoke from the airport in Orlando as the team prepared to head home. “They’re really good ambassadors for the sport and for the University, as well.”
“All of this media attention is fantastic,” she adds, and overdue acknowledgement that the Spirit Squad is packed with “true athletes, not just sideline supporters.”
When the program was first ascending, it was built primarily with dancers from Minnesota, Gaines says, but with success has come a much broader appeal.
“We’re starting to see more and more dancers from all across the country,” says Gaines, in her 13th season coaching the U of M dance team. “It’s really cool to see the desire and excitement for dancers to want to come to Minnesota to dance here and represent the school. I think it’s a reflection of the legacy we’ve built here over the last 23 years.”
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