Spirit Program Brings Home Two National Championships

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Tennessee Spirit program claimed two national titles on Wednesday and was the class of the field for a second consecutive year at the 2021 UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships.

"Game day is what we are all about at Tennessee," dance coach Kelley Tafazzoli said. "Even though game days looked different in the fall, we were able to bring the energy of Neyland Stadium to Orlando and it paid off."

The cheer team defended the program's first national title from 2020 by winning the national championship in the Division 1A Game Day competition.

The dance team, having previously won a total of six national titles in its storied history, added a seventh title to the collection on Wednesday. This year's title came in the Division 1A Game Day category.

Smokey came just .1 points short of claiming the Division 1A Mascot National Championship, finishing second to Aubie from Auburn University, after placing first in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Tennessee Spirit was the only program in the nation to place all three teams in the top three of each division. Tennessee also serves as the only team from this year's competition to claim national titles from two of its teams.

"We are so proud to display to the nation the excellence of Tennessee Spirit that our fans witness on Rocky Top week in and week out," mascot coach Rodney Arnold said. "Our three teams really function as one big team and family. These student-athletes have worked hard all year, supporting each other on and off the field. They deserve this recognition, and so do our incredible fans."

In addition to the two national titles and Smokey's runner-up finish, the dance team claimed a pair of third place finishes in the finals, which came in the Division 1A Jazz and Division 1A Pom routines.

The cheer team also earned an additional top-ten finish, placing sixth in the traditional routine.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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