The Lionettes dance team won a national championship for the third straight year, earning their first ever Division II Hip Hop title at the 2019 NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Preliminary competition took place on Friday, and Lindenwood put forth an incredible performance to advance to the finals with the top raw score of 65.17 out of a possible 70.  The Lady Lions earned marks above nine in six of the seven judged categories without a single deduction.  Despite the strong start, the Lionettes put forth an even better performance in the finals on Saturday, starting from the moment they walked on stage.  Head Coach Whitney Sterns explained.

"With a successful practice and hype morning, we were more ready than ever," she said.  "The judges even made comments on how incredible our entrance was, which set us up for success from the beginning."

Lindenwood increased its raw score in the finals to 65.98 to claim the top spot ahead of Valdosta State University with 65.34.  The Lionettes increased their marks in just about every category, including a perfect 10 in Collegiate Image, 9.48 in Staging, 9.42 in Performance Impression, 9.36 in Choreography, 9.26 in Uniformity, and 9.24 in Quality of Movement, once again with no deductions.  Davenport University finished third. 

Prior to the Hip Hop competition, the Lionettes sought their third straight title in Division II Jazz, beginning with prelims on Thursday.  Coach Sterns shared the goals for the team.

"Our goal this year was to share "Lionettes Love," something only a member of this team will understand, but we wanted to spread our love for dance and each other as well as share the story that our dance tells.  Specific judges stated that we had done just that on score sheets, so we did what we came to do."

Lindenwood looked well on the way to winning another championship after preliminary competition.  The Lady Lions earned a raw score of 65.52 to lead Valdosta State, but it was only by a slim margin of 0.34.  The Lionettes once again put forth a fantastic performance in the finals, but the Blazers were slightly better according to the judges.  Lindenwood earned a raw score of 65.3, but Valdosta State improved to 65.86 to claim the title, with Dallas Baptist in third.

Despite coming just short for the first time in three years, Coach Sterns was proud of how her team handled it.

"The culture created by the team when it comes to losing is incredible," she said.  "They handled it so well, standing on the edge of the stage and celebrating the team that had won.  To say they lost with grace is an understatement and as coaches, we were incredibly humbled by the way they handled it."

Despite the disappointment in Jazz, the Lionettes still accomplished program history by winning a national title for the third straight year, and by winning the first ever Hip Hop championship.  The combined first and second place finishes marked the highest combined placement for the program. 

	2019 NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and
	Dance Team Championships
	Hip Hop Division II (finals)
1	Lindenwood Universtiy	65.98
2	Valdosta State University	65.34
3	Davenport University	62.48
4	Limestone College	59.42
5	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University	56.96
	Jazz Division II (finals)
1	Valdosta State University	65.86
2	Lindenwood University	65.3
3	Dallas Baptist University	64.6
4	Davenport University	62.92
5	Merrimack College	62.7