SJC Dance Team Earns 5th and 9th Place Finishes at Nationals

Written by Joshua Soto (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Orlando, Fl | The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) dance team made history this past weekend at the UDA National Championships, which was held at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

One year removed from falling just short of the finals, the dance team would finally reach its goal and qualify for the first time in program history, claiming a fifth place finish in the open hip-hop competition and ninth place in the jazz group.

Heading into what was the Golden Eagles' fifth trip to nationals (2012-2016), second-year head coach Jessica Desz—who competed on the team from 2009 to 2013— believed her squad had it in them to finally reach the final.

"Since the beginning of the season, the girls and coaches knew this year was different. They had such a strong feeling about making it to finals this year," Desz stated.

"At tryouts we knew we had a strong group that could to make it to finals. When the girls accomplished their goal we were so proud of them. It was amazing to watch the girls dance their hearts out on that stage," added Desz.

"It still seems unreal. Our goal was to represent our school and make it into finals, and we became one of those teams to watch out for. We cannot wait to go back and do even better next year," remarked assistant coach Lauren Vegessi.

Senior captain Alexa Casamassino reflected on the team's successes stating, "This past weekend has proved that when you work hard for something that you have your heart set on, and believe you can do it, any dream can be accomplished."