LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Rebel Girls & Company captured its fourth straight Universal Dance Association (UDA) National Championship on Tuesday after finishing first in the D1A Game Day category. The 2021 competition was held virtually because of the pandemic.

In just four short weeks, the team came up with a routine that represented themselves, the university and all of Southern Nevada. The team thanked UNLV Athletics for giving it an opportunity to compete along with UDA Dance for allowing the competition to take place. The Rebel Girls & Company also thanked all of their family, friends and fans for their continued support and mentioned that they couldn't have done it without all of them.

This year's national title marks the eighth in program history. The other four were in the D1A Hip Hop category.

The Game Day routine included four different elements: UNLV Fight Song, a cheer, Viva Las Vegas sideline, and a 30-second timeout routine. The choreography and music were produced by the team captains and they conveyed that they enjoyed the opportunity to be able to create the piece and use props to elevate the level of excitement surrounding the routine.

"It's definitely been a different experience, but we tried really hard to find all the positive things that we could instead of dwelling on things we couldn't do," said Marca Decastroverde, Director of the Rebel Girls & Company. "I was so shocked and so surprised! With very little practice, we came in with force and energy, and they've done such a good job!" 

Brandi Lynn-Slade, the program's associate head coach added "Getting to know them through zoom and phone calls, along with text messages, was essential to building the team's relationship before we were able to start practicing together in person."