ORLANDO - Emmanuel College's Dance Team made its second-ever appearance in the Universal Dance Association (UDA) National Championships over the weekend of January 17, hosted at the Wide World of Disney.

The Saints competed in the Open Hip-Hop category, scoring a 74.9 with their routine, missing out on the championship finals by just 2.65 points, as a 12th-place finish in the category left ECDT just outside the top 10 finalists group.

Among teams in the region competing in the Open Hip-Hop category, the Saints finished second out of six programs that compete in New England. Westfield State scored 84.1433 points to lead the New England schools, followed by Emmanuel, Worcester State, Keene State, Western Connecticut State, and Southern Connecticut State.

Emmanuel improved on its 2025 appearance, after finishing in 19th of 21 teams a season ago. The seven-place leap into 12th position in this season's competition matched the largest improvement year-over-year from 2025, with Sacred Heart and Westfield State also improving seven spots from the National Championship last season.

The Saints continue their season with the UDA New England Dance Challenge Regional Championship, hosted at Endicott on February 15