A blaring alarm rang out from Alexa Buras’ phone, shattering the tranquility of an otherwise silent and sleeping hotel room. It was 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 16, time to wake up and get ready for the day ahead.

The Tennessee Spirit team was in Orlando, Fla., competing in the 2026 UCA & UCD College Cheerleading and Dance Team Championships. The program returned to the Sunshine State seeking their fourth DIA Game Day title in six years, but the first for Buras.

This season was Buras’ second year as a member of the cheer team at Tennessee. She came in as a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, a school of roughly 12,000 total students spread out amongst three campuses throughout southern Mississippi.

While Buras and Tennessee took part in the same competition last year, they were unable to claim a championship title, finishing in sixth place. Such was not the case this time.

Tennessee cheer burst on to the scene at this year’s tournament, beginning the weekend with a strong performance. The squad’s first act landed them with an event score of 96.06 points, setting them in sole lead of first place heading into the final round.

After making some adjustments to their routine during downtime between shows, the team quickly returned to the mat to take their shot at winning a title. Once again, Tennessee delivered a stellar performance, reasserting the strengths that set them apart in the first round and capitalizing on the necessary improvements to the pieces that needed attention. 

After the performance, the team discovered they finished with the same score as the round prior, with 96.06 points. The group banded together as they witnessed the list of top-10 placements read aloud. The list started at No. 10 and worked its way to the top, causing the squad to hold its breath a little longer with every name that came before them.

By the time the list reached second place, Tennessee knew it was now or never— and this year, that moment was now. Elation abounded as UT heard its name called for first place in the DIA Game Day – Cheer Only finals and the program was crowned national champion. 

“It was really cool just being out there and knowing that we put our best out,” senior cheerleader Andrew Wallace said.

Similar sentiments echoed throughout the team, including for Buras.

“It was crazy. That was my first time ever winning anything,” Buras said in relation to her own career. “The win meant a lot to me. I’ve been cheering for 13 years at this point and being able to go out with a win was all I could have ever asked for.”

Unlike Buras, the 2026 title was not the first championship under Wallace’s belt with Tennessee. Although he was not on the mat at the time, Wallace was a member of the team in 2024 when Tennessee won its last title in the same category.

Proving his second title meant no less than his first, Wallace understood the significance of playing a role in the championship win and said it was a result of all the hard work every member of the team puts in day in and day out. This is something he reflects on as he prepares for his next chapter of life outside of collegiate cheer.

“[The win] meant a lot because it meant all the work was worth it and that all the time and effort I’ve poured in, and all the effort the staff has poured into me was worth it,” Wallace said. “It all came into fruition.”

To succeed in such a high-stakes, physical environment, the whole team must have deep trust in one another. One way this happens is through the group’s shared philosophy of being a family.

“We talk a lot about being a family, being one unit, and having each other’s backs,” spirit program director and dance coach Kelley Taffazoli said. “I think they always do a really good job with that.”

In addition to being a family, Tennessee’s spirit program prides itself on maintaining a championship culture. That is built through hard work on and off the mat. All members of the program hold themselves to a higher standard of living as individuals, something Taffazoli knows is necessary to win championships.

“Accountability is huge, especially when you’re trying to create a championship culture and it can’t just come from the top. It has to come from within as well,” Taffazoli said. “The kids really embrace that when they become a part of our program, really to be accountable and continually reach for that championship standard every single year.” 

Both Buras and Wallace have become an integral part of the Tennessee spirit program and close knit members of the cheer team as a whole. Building on the trust and accountability that makes the team so special, the senior pair is grateful for their time on Rocky Top and look to leave their own legacies as they pay back to those following in their footsteps.

“With our senior class this year, we wanted to make everyone feel welcome. With the freshmen coming in, we tried to make sure that we included them in everything we did,” Wallace said. “Not only did we include them, but that we held them—and ourselves—to the standard that our coaches set before us and the seniors before us set.”

The combination of life lessons and excellence on the mat continue to feed into Tennessee spirit’s championship-winning culture, as their student-athletes continue to shape the program’s success for the future. 

“I always tell them to leave something better than they found it,” cheer coach Chelsea Bowlin said. “When you come in, even if you win or not, the goal should always be to leave the program better than you found it.”