Warriors Earn Runner-Up Finish at NAIA Nationals

TOPEKA, Kan. — Midland University traveled to Topeka, Kansas, for its 10th NAIA National Championship appearance as the defending champions. The Warriors earned a runner-up finish, falling just 0.27 points short of first place.

The Warriors had nine rookies competing, with just four athletes returning from the 2025 national championship team.

In the preliminary round, Midland earned a score of 92.63, just 0.35 points behind St. Ambrose University, which posted a high prelim score of 92.98.

Preliminaries accounted for 25% of the total score, with finals making up the remaining 75%. Midland improved in the final round by 0.62 points to earn a 93.25.

Midland finished with an overall score of 93.10, just 0.27 points behind St. Ambrose, which claimed the 2026 national title with a score of 93.37.

"I am so incredibly proud of this team and their performances from the weekend," said head coach Erin Sibbald. "They are a phenomenal group of athletes, and their work ethic, passion and love for each other showed in the routines they brought to the floor. We are leaving Topeka with full hearts and the inspiration to keep developing and pushing forward for next season."

Midland will now take a short break before traveling to Daytona Beach to compete at the National Dance Alliance (NDA) National Championship on April 8.