UCLA Women's Team Dances Viral Routine After First NCAA Win

When you win your program's first national championship in the NCAA era, you dance like nobody's watching (even though thousands definitely are).

UCLA women's basketball players Gabriela Jaquez, Lauren Betts, and Charlisse Leger-Walker took center stage at Phoenix Arena Sunday night, fresh off crushing South Carolina 79-51 in the NCAA Championship game. Dressed in their brand new 2026 championship gear, the trio performed a perfectly synchronized routine to Tate McRae's "You Broke Me First."

The crowd roared. The internet exploded. Even Tate McRae herself gave the performance her official stamp of approval, joking on social media that she'd found her backup dancers for her next tour.

This wasn't the players' first viral dance moment. Back in February, Leger-Walker challenged the UCLA dance team to teach her and her teammates an entire halftime routine in just one day. The deal? If the video got over 1,000 likes, they'd perform it at the men's basketball game. They delivered on March 3, and the tradition was born.

The celebration didn't stop on the court. Head coach Cori Close joined the party in the locker room, busting moves alongside her championship team. Back at the UCLA campus, fans lined up outside to cheer the team bus as it arrived, welcoming home the historic winners.

Why This Inspires

This story captures something bigger than basketball stats and trophy presentations. These young athletes showed that excellence and joy aren't opposites. They dominated one of the toughest games in college sports, then immediately reminded everyone that celebrating with your teammates is half the fun.

Their willingness to be themselves, to choreograph dances and share them with millions, sends a powerful message to young athletes everywhere. You can be fiercely competitive and playfully creative. You can train relentlessly and still make time for moments that make you smile.

The Bruins claimed their first national title since the 1978 AIWA championship, before the NCAA took over women's basketball. Forty-six years of waiting, ended with a dance party the whole internet could join.

A championship parade is coming soon, and something tells us these ladies have another routine ready to go.