Merrimack College Dance Team To Become A Varsity Sport This Spring

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — The Merrimack College Athletic Department announced Friday that the school's dance team would receive varsity-level status beginning this spring.

The team has operated as a club sports program up to this point.

In 2022, the dance team finished third at the National Dance Alliance (NDA) College Nationals, the first time the program had made the (top 3) podium at the competition.

Four Merrimack dancers also have received All-America honors in recent years: Tayleigh Tierney-Honan, Vanni Morello, Ava Mazzotta and Josalyn Melendez.

In addition to competing, the dance team performs at Merrimack football games and men's and women's basketball games.

Each fall, an event called "A Day with MCDT" features youth dancers learning a routine and then performing it with the dance team. Each spring, the dance team holds a Spring Showcase, where Merrimack dancers put together a variety of different pieces to display their talent.

Alina Porzio, a 2017 Merrimack graduate, is in her sixth year as the coach of the dance team. She is joined by assistants Carly Thayer, a 2021 graduate, and Bella Agnoletti, a 2022 grad. Since Porzio took charge of the program, the dance team's numbers have grown from 17 to 45 dancers.

The dance team becomes the 28th intercollegiate sport at Merrimack and the fourth new varsity sport in the past 12 months. The other new sports are women's bowling, men's golf and men's volleyball.

The Merrimack College Dance Team is scheduled to compete at the 2023 NDA National Championships in April in Daytona Beach, Florida.