St. John's University Athletics
Photo by: Vincent Dusovic
St. John’s Cheer and Dance Teams Prepare for Nationals in Florida
1/15/2026 11:30:00 AM | General
The Red Storm Spirit Teams will compete in the annual UCA and UDA National Championships
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's spirit teams are set to participate in the 2026 College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships, held at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The cheer and dance squads will complete a total of six routines from Jan. 16-19. Competition is split between the State Farm Field House and AdventHealth Arena.
The Red Storm cheer team will look to defend its University World Cup Cheerleading Championship in the Small Coed Game Day competition. The team earned a final score of 93.6 to win the event in 2025. The dance team grabbed third place in the Division I Dance Game Day Finals, finishing with a score of 88.8.
The cheer team will begin competition on Friday, Jan. 16, in the Division I Small Coed Game Day semifinals. The routine is set to begin at 10:08 a.m. ET. If the team qualifies, the Red Storm will look to medal in the Division I Small Coed Game Day Finals during Saturday's 6:15-7:30 p.m. time block. For the first time since 2016, the squad will also participate in the Division I All-Girl semifinals at 9:02 a.m. Saturday morning.
Should they advance, the Red Storm are slated to compete in the Division I All-Girl Finals on Sunday, Jan. 18, during the 10:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. time block. It marks the first time St. John's will participate in two different divisions at UCA Nationals. Last year, the Johnnies competed in the Small Coed Game Day division for the first time, placing sixth.
Cheer wraps up competition Sunday evening at the ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Championship, where the squad looks to defend its title in the Small Coed Game Day division. The routine is set to take place during the 8-9 p.m. time slot.
"We're excited for the opportunity to compete and defend our title from last year," said second-year head cheer coach Annie Kambouras. "We can't wait to showcase our talents alongside our dance team and mascots down in Florida."
St. John's dance will kick off its weekend on Friday with the jazz routine preliminaries at 11:29 a.m., followed by the Game Day semifinals at 2:37 p.m. The Red Storm won the Game Day category in 2018.
On Saturday, the squad will hit the stage for the Hip-Hop semifinal at 1:13 p.m. Should the group advance, the Game Day Finals are set to begin at 2:30 p.m., while the jazz semifinals will commence between 4-7 p.m. Finals for the jazz and Hip-Hop routines will take place on Sunday between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The 2026 competition marks the 10-year anniversary of St. John's dance team's first national title, which it earned in Hip-Hop in 2016. The Red Storm captured the title again in 2020.
"This year's team has been driven toward this event since the first day of practice in July," said head dance coach and spirit squad director Christine McCarton. "I'm proud of our group's effort and determination in preparation to compete on the national stage. Get ready for some fun and exciting routines this year."
McCarton has served as head coach of the dance team since June 2002. In 2025, she was promoted to spirit group coordinator, overseeing the cheer squad and pep band.
Fans can watch the national championships throughout the weekend live on the Varsity Network.
Red Storm UCA/UDA Nationals Schedule:
Friday, Jan. 16
10:08 a.m. – Small Co-Ed Game Day Semifinals (Cheer)
11:29 a.m. – Jazz preliminaries (Dance)
2:37 p.m. – Gameday Semifinals (Dance)
Saturday, Jan. 17
9:02 a.m. – Division I All-Girl Semifinal (Cheer)
1:13 p.m. – Hip Hop Semifinals (Dance)
2:30 p.m. – Game Day Finals (Dance)*
4-7 p.m. – Jazz Semifinals (Dance)*
6:15 – 7:30 p.m. – Small Co-Ed Game Day Finals (Cheer)*
Sunday, Jan. 18
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Jazz and Hip-Hop Finals (Dance)*
10:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. – Division I All-Girl Finals (Cheer)*
8-9 p.m. – ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Competition (Cheer)
* if they qualify
The cheer and dance squads will complete a total of six routines from Jan. 16-19. Competition is split between the State Farm Field House and AdventHealth Arena.
The Red Storm cheer team will look to defend its University World Cup Cheerleading Championship in the Small Coed Game Day competition. The team earned a final score of 93.6 to win the event in 2025. The dance team grabbed third place in the Division I Dance Game Day Finals, finishing with a score of 88.8.
The cheer team will begin competition on Friday, Jan. 16, in the Division I Small Coed Game Day semifinals. The routine is set to begin at 10:08 a.m. ET. If the team qualifies, the Red Storm will look to medal in the Division I Small Coed Game Day Finals during Saturday's 6:15-7:30 p.m. time block. For the first time since 2016, the squad will also participate in the Division I All-Girl semifinals at 9:02 a.m. Saturday morning.
Should they advance, the Red Storm are slated to compete in the Division I All-Girl Finals on Sunday, Jan. 18, during the 10:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. time block. It marks the first time St. John's will participate in two different divisions at UCA Nationals. Last year, the Johnnies competed in the Small Coed Game Day division for the first time, placing sixth.
Cheer wraps up competition Sunday evening at the ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Championship, where the squad looks to defend its title in the Small Coed Game Day division. The routine is set to take place during the 8-9 p.m. time slot.
"We're excited for the opportunity to compete and defend our title from last year," said second-year head cheer coach Annie Kambouras. "We can't wait to showcase our talents alongside our dance team and mascots down in Florida."
St. John's dance will kick off its weekend on Friday with the jazz routine preliminaries at 11:29 a.m., followed by the Game Day semifinals at 2:37 p.m. The Red Storm won the Game Day category in 2018.
On Saturday, the squad will hit the stage for the Hip-Hop semifinal at 1:13 p.m. Should the group advance, the Game Day Finals are set to begin at 2:30 p.m., while the jazz semifinals will commence between 4-7 p.m. Finals for the jazz and Hip-Hop routines will take place on Sunday between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The 2026 competition marks the 10-year anniversary of St. John's dance team's first national title, which it earned in Hip-Hop in 2016. The Red Storm captured the title again in 2020.
"This year's team has been driven toward this event since the first day of practice in July," said head dance coach and spirit squad director Christine McCarton. "I'm proud of our group's effort and determination in preparation to compete on the national stage. Get ready for some fun and exciting routines this year."
McCarton has served as head coach of the dance team since June 2002. In 2025, she was promoted to spirit group coordinator, overseeing the cheer squad and pep band.
Fans can watch the national championships throughout the weekend live on the Varsity Network.
Red Storm UCA/UDA Nationals Schedule:
Friday, Jan. 16
10:08 a.m. – Small Co-Ed Game Day Semifinals (Cheer)
11:29 a.m. – Jazz preliminaries (Dance)
2:37 p.m. – Gameday Semifinals (Dance)
Saturday, Jan. 17
9:02 a.m. – Division I All-Girl Semifinal (Cheer)
1:13 p.m. – Hip Hop Semifinals (Dance)
2:30 p.m. – Game Day Finals (Dance)*
4-7 p.m. – Jazz Semifinals (Dance)*
6:15 – 7:30 p.m. – Small Co-Ed Game Day Finals (Cheer)*
Sunday, Jan. 18
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Jazz and Hip-Hop Finals (Dance)*
10:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. – Division I All-Girl Finals (Cheer)*
8-9 p.m. – ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Competition (Cheer)
* if they qualify
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