Over the weekend, students danced 26.2 hours and  broke the all-time first year fundraising record during the University’s inaugural Dance Marathon in Parker Coliseum — held to raise money for Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, the local Children’s Miracle Network hospital. 
Bill Mattera, assistant director of Staffing and Organizational Development for Residential Life and adviser for the event,  brought Dance Marathon to campus after previously overseeing six of these events at four other universities. 
By 5:30 p.m. Friday evening, the teams were soaking up the last few minutes of sitting, and at precisely 5:48 p.m. the 169 students, directors, assistants and morale captains were up on their feet dancing. Elementary education senior Brittani Rideaux and English secondary education senior Carly Peddie agreed that standing for more than 26 hours would be tough, but they were happy to do it for the kids.
The night began with morale captains performing an eight-minute dance to a medley of club favorites and classics. The morale dance, performed every hour to keep track of time while also keeping energy high, included iconic dance moves such as the “Carlton,” the “Hand Jive” and the “Cat Daddy” to songs like “Ice Ice Baby,” “Outta Your Mind” and “Single Ladies.”
Captain of the Horseshoe team and history and political science junior Caleb Covington said the morale dance was his favorite part because it helped him stay awake and got be fun after a while. 
After the morale dance, the students heard stories from youths treated at Our Lady of the Lake. Twenty Miracle Kids, patients at Our Lady of the Lake, and their families shared tales of illness, injury and care at the hospital, reminding participants the reason behind standing for more than 26 hours.
Our Lady of the Lake treats 92,000 children annually. No child is ever turned away at the hospital, no matter the circumstances, said Danny Fields, director of Children’s Miracle Network at Our Lady of the Lake. Fields said the money collected will be used to purchase specialized pediatric equipment and educational resources for the patients. 
After completing 24 hours of Dance Marathon, the Miracle Cup was presented to the teams that went above and beyond. Criteria for awards included number of dancers, participation in spirit challenges, participation in other fundraising events such as Beat A&M Week and amount of money collected. The Paul M. Hebert Law Center and Public Interest Law Society, the Blake, Acadian, and McVoy team, Phi Mu sorority, and members of the volleyball team took home a certificate made by a Miracle Child. Adam Grashoff and Michael Leonpacher of Sigma Phi Epsilon received the Most Energy and Morale award, and Kaitlyn King, who raised $900.72 won the                Morale Captain award.
At 8 p.m. on Saturday as the last dance started, students grooved while the amount of money raised spun up on a screen. Fundraising director and public relations junior Lauren Cadogan said the goal was to beat the first year record, which was $103,700.28 set by DePaul University in 2012. The University’s first Dance Marathon raised $105,557.88 for Our Lady of the Lake, earning the new record.
“It feels wonderful. I can’t explain it,” said Melanie Mckoin, executive director of the event and human resource education senior. “We have something to truly be proud of.”