Competitive dance qualifies for 2026 NAIA National Championship

NEW ORLEANS – For the first time since the 2024 season, the Loyola University New Orleans competitive dance team has qualified for the NAIA National Championship. The team earned an at-large selection to become one of 12 teams in the national championship field. 

The 2026 NAIA Competitive Dance National Championship will be held at Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka, Kansas, hosted by Visit Topeka and Baker University. Loyola joins fellow at-large teams Concordia (Neb.), Doane (Neb.) Viterbo (Wis.), Oklahoma City, and Baker, as well as automatic qualifiers Midland (Neb.), Hope International (Calif.), Bethel (Kan.), St. Ambrose (Iowa), Grand View (Iowa), and Aquinas (Mich.) in the national championship field.

The preliminary round will take place on Friday, March 27, before the finals on Saturday, March 28. Loyola will be the second team performing on Friday, with preliminary scores determining performance order for Saturday's finals. 

This is the seventh trip to nationals for the Wolf Pack dance team. Loyola previously qualified in four straight years from 2018 to 2021, as well as 2023 and 2024. 

Loyola has won four different competitions, all taking place at Xavier University's Battle in the Big Easy in early February. The Pack then finished second among five teams at the NAIA regional qualifier, hosted by Our Lady of the Lake, with an overall score of 80.20. It was the team's highest score in an NAIA qualifier since the 2022 season. 

The competition average for the Wolf Pack this year was 89.73. That number is a nearly 30-point improvement over the team's average score from last season.