ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of South Florida cheerleading program cemented its status as a collegiate powerhouse last weekend, securing two national championships and three runner-up finishes at the 2026 UCA/UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship.
Competing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the Bulls medaled in every single division they entered. The performance pushes the program’s trophy case to 11 world or national titles within just the last six years, a run that has seen both the All Girl and Coed squads dominate the leaderboard.
All Girl Squad Hits a “Zero Deduction” Weekend
The USF All Girl Cheer Team, coached by Sandy Clarke, captured the Division 1 All Girl Game Day crown. It marks the fourth national championship for the squad and extends a streak of top-two finishes in the Game Day category to four consecutive years.
But the hardware didn’t stop there. The team also took home silver in the Division 1A Traditional category and the University World Cup competition. It is the first time in program history the All Girl squad has placed in the top two across three separate divisions at a single event.
“We were super excited for this weekend,” Clarke said. “Our goal for the Game Day competition was to come out and do exactly what we did—execute and put on a show.”
Clarke noted that the team’s performance in the Traditional competition was particularly sharp.
“Our goal was two zero-deduction routines, and that’s exactly what we did,” she said. “We were really excited to put beautiful cheerleading in the arena and are incredibly proud of the silver medal… Bringing home a national championship and two silvers is something we are very proud of.”
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Coed Team Reclaims Large Coed Title
On the Coed side, the Bulls returned to the top of the mountain in the flagship Division 1 Large Coed category. This victory secures the team’s fourth title in that specific division and its fifth national championship overall.
The win represents a bounce-back for the Coed squad, which finished as runners-up in the Large Coed division last year while winning the Game Day competition. In 2026, they flipped the script, taking gold in Large Coed and silver in Game Day.
The Coed team has seen a rapid ascent under the leadership of Ronnie Patrick and Gillian Guadagnino. After a 13-year hiatus ended in 2016, the program climbed from a 12th-place finish in 2017 to becoming a perennial favorite, joining Kentucky in 2023 as the only programs to win three straight Coed national titles.
“All year, we challenged this team to be tough, to respond appropriately, and to support one another,” Patrick said regarding the team’s performance. “We asked them to fight through every moment, no matter the circumstance, and to never give up. They embraced that challenge and showed exactly who they are.”
A Decade of Dominance
The weekend in Orlando underscores a shift in the collegiate cheer landscape, with USF firmly established as a premier destination for the sport.
Since breaking through for their first national championship in 2021, the Bulls have accumulated a rapid succession of titles. In 2024, USF became the first Division I program to sweep both the All Girl Game Day and All Girl Traditional competitions in the same year.
With the 2026 results, the program now holds recent titles in Large Coed, All Girl Game Day, All Girl World Cup, and USA Grand Champions.
“We’ll enjoy this,” Clarke said of the historic weekend. “And then we’ll get back to work.”
2026 Championship Breakdown
Gold Medalists (National Champions)
- UCA Division 1A Large Coed
- UCA Division 1A All Girl Game Day
Silver Medalists (Runner-Up)
- Division 1A All Girl Traditional
- University World Cup (All Girl)
- Division 1A Coed Game Day
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