UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Lionettes dance team placed second at the National Dance Alliance Collegiate Nationals competition last weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida, giving the squad its seventh consecutive top-five finish.
The Lionettes finished second in the Division 1A Jazz and Pom divisions. Led by senior captains Jaqueline Ferre, Madison Fox and Alex Gambuti, the Lionettes received the highest score of the competition in the preliminary round and maintained the highest technical score after finals in the most competitive division at the competition.
Coached by Julie Berardi, the Lionettes trailed only Texas Tech in the Division 1A Jazz competition and Iowa State in the Pom division. Florida State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Purdue, Connecticut and West Virginia were among the other squads that competed in Division 1A Jazz.
The Lionettes were No. 3 last year at nationals and won three consecutive NDA collegiate dance national championships from 2012 to 2014.
Fans can view the Lionettes’ NDA routines here.