The Buckeye Dance Force made it to the finals at the National Collegiate Dance Competition for the first time since 2000, finishing 15th in Division I-A, with its “coast-to-coast” dance theme.

During the competition, held April 3 and 4 in Daytona, Fla., the squad performed routines to a medley of crowd-pumping songs, including “North Carolina” by Petey Pablo and “No Sleep ’til Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys. They wore red one-piece outfits under OSU football jerseys that they tore off during an intense hip-hop section to the song “Buckeye City.”

“Next year, I hope they reach for a little more and are successful,” said team captain Katy Hoffman, a senior in textiles and clothing.

Most of the girls who performed at the competition were first-year members. The team improved a lot this year because of the talented incoming freshmen with strong technical skills, Hoffman said.

The routine was choreographed by coaches Betsy Collins and Erin Binau – both graduates of OSU. Every one of the top 10 finishing teams hired a professional choreographer, said team treasurer Elke Wiewel, a junior in business.

“Not having a choreographer is definitely a disadvantage, even though we were happy with our choreography,” Wiewel said.

The Buckeye Dance Force can’t afford a choreographer because it is a club sport and is self-funded, Wiewel said.

“Our team and Indiana’s are the only dance teams in the Big Ten that aren’t funded by the university,” Wiewel said.

The Buckeye Dance Force began work on the routine in January. They practiced three days a week, conditioned three days a week and ran a mile before each practice. During spring break, the squad had two-a-day practices, which they call “Hell Week.”

“The thing that gets you through it is knowing that you’ll be in Florida the following week, doing what you’ve been training for,” Hoffman said.

Although making it to finals was the highlight of the year, the team is happy with progress they’ve made in other areas, Hoffman said.

“My goals for the year were to increase the number of performances within the university, particularly athletic events, and gain more recognition,” Hoffman said. “I feel like we’ve accomplished that.”

Buckeye Dance Force tryouts will be Saturday. Anyone interested in trying out can go to the squad’s Web site at buckeyedanceforce.org for more information.