ORLANDO, Fla. – Missouri State's cheerleaders finished second in the nation, while the Sugar Bears dance team posted impressive national finishes in three categories at the 2020 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships here, Jan. 17-19.

The cheer squad's second-place national finish is its highest in program history and comes on the heels of a fourth-place showing last season. Coach Nikki Love-Adkins' squad finished just behind national champion Morehead State, which won the competition for the fifth straight year. Eastern Kentucky was third.

The cheer squad's previous high finish at UCA Nationals was third place in four consecutive years from 2009-2012.

Meanwhile, coach Emily Dryden's Sugar Bears finished sixth in the Division I Game Day category for the second year in a row. The Game Day competition marked the Sugar Bears' highest event finish at this year's UDA competition. Grand Canyon, Hofstra and Nebraska-Omaha were the top three squads, while Central Connecticut, St. John's University, MSU and Northern Iowa rounded out the top-seven national finalists.
 
The Sugar Bears also finished eighth in the Division I Jazz category, matching the squad's top national finish in Jazz since 2015. Utah Valley won the competition, just ahead of Hofstra and Cal State Fullerton among the 12 schools that advanced to the finals.

The Sugar Bears also competed in the Division I Pom flight, but did not advance to the finals to tie for 8th place nationally. Utah Valley also won the Pom competition.
 
Video footage of the competition can be seen on www.varsity.com again this year.  The prestigious competition, which showcases the country's best college cheerleaders, dance team performers and mascots, is in its 37th year.