Major Showdown at Beavercreek Gets Ohio Show Choir into Gear

By Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor

The bad news for the 2026 Beavercreek Midwest Show Choir Classic: they lost their spot opening the Ohio season to Van Buren’s new competition. 

The good news for the 2026 Beavercreek Midwest Show Choir Classic: their lineup is one of the best of any Ohio competition this season, featuring groups from four states, ensuring that Beavercreek retains their status as one of the most exciting early season competitions. 

Womens Division

The Lineup and Group Analysis (all groups from OH unless noted): 

• Hurricane (WV) “Heat Wave” - Heat Wave competed at Beavercreek each season from 2022 to 2024, winning the women’s division and making overall finals twice in that period (as well as going 3-0 against Allure and 1-0 against New Dimension). Though they didn’t compete at Beavercreek in 2025, they made overall finals at six out of seven competitions, beating several large mixed groups along the way. All this is to say that they are dangerous, fully capable of winning this division and potentially making overall finals. 

• Loveland “Allure” - Ohio’s sole representation in this division. Allure placed third in the womens division at Beavercreek in 2025, but they made large strides later in the season, resulting in several overall finals placements. For 2026, the question is whether they have a slow start like last year or start strong; if they do the latter, they could very well win this womens division. 

• Noblesville (IN) “New Dimension” - New Dimension won the womens division at Beavercreek in 2025, though they struggled later in the season due to facing tough competition from other Indiana women’s groups. 2026 is a new season for them, and Beavercreek is again one of their top win opportunities; a win here would be a good start to their season before they return to the tough Indiana scene.

• West Jessamine (KY) “Fortissima” - Fortissima is making a reappearance at this competition after not competing in the 2025 season, though low numbers will likely mean they remain behind the other three groups in the division. 

The womens division is always one of the more interesting ones at Beavercreek (though it often flies under the radar) due to the fact that it usually features some rare matchups to start the season. This year is no exception; all four groups in this division are beginning their season, and only Loveland and West Jessamine will see each other later in the season. This year, the division also has potential finals implications; it is quite easy to see the top group in this division beating out a bottom large mixed group for a slot. Based on history, Hurricane and Noblesville are likely in the best positions to do so; however, a strong start for Loveland can’t be counted out. 

Small Mixed 

The Lineup and Group Analysis 

• Benjamin Logan “Standing Ovation” - Ben Logan has historically been in the middle of the pack at Beavercreek, placing third in small mixed in 2025. They very well could place third again in 2026. Something to note is that Standing Ovation is aiming to be more competitive in 2026, with three competitions on their winter slate (up from one or two in years past), which may be a sign of a step forward for the group. 

• Bishop Dwenger (IN) “Summit Sound” - Summit Sound is from the Fort Wayne area, home to a competitive small mixed scene; this explains their struggles in the 2025 season, where they only earned one finals placement. 2026 is a new season however, and they retain their entire creative team; moreover, Summit Sound tends to be a group that starts strong, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility they do well at Beavercreek. 

• South Dearborn (IN) “Opening Knight” - South Dearborn has won the small mixed division at Beavercreek for three years in a row, and they have a good shot at making that four in 2026. Opening Knight has long been one of the top small mixed groups in the region, though they did struggle against top Ohio small mixed groups in 2025, and their failure to make finals at Ada in November could be a sign of more struggles to come. 

• West Jessamine (KY) “Dually Noted” - West Jessamine is no longer the only competitive show choir program in Kentucky, but they remain a good small mixed group. In 2025, they placed second in Small Mixed at Beavercreek despite being the smallest group in the division, and they went on to make the podium in small mixed at each of their competitions. They’ll be looking to either match or outdo their 2025 placement here, and it’s a good bet that they do just that. 

Though only three states are represented, the small mixed division will still be quite interesting. Bishop Dwenger doesn’t usually compete in Ohio, so they’re effectively an unknown; the rest of the groups have some recent competitive history against each other. South Dearborn, despite some recent struggles, is likely the favorite to win the division, though it’s not impossible that they don’t; the rest of the placements could go in just about any order. As for finals, a small mixed group hasn’t made Beavercreek’s finals round since before the pandemic (usually the larger single-gender groups beat them out). It’s not impossible that that changes this year, but it’s far from likely. 

Large Mixed

The Lineup and Group Analysis

• Lebanon “Singers” - Lebanon had a rough 2025 season, failing to make finals at any of their competitions, but there are signs that may be changing. In 2026, they have a finals placement at Van Buren to their name, and they have the potential for another one at Beavercreek. They’ll have to do well enough in daytime large mixed and beat out the top single-gender group to make it, but it’s not impossible. 

• Hamilton “Prestige” - Hamilton has not yet competed in 2026, but in 2025 they struggled earlier in the season before earning a solid finals placement at Grove City and making small mixed finals at Teays Valley. They’re starting their season earlier this year, which indicates a confidence that they can overcome their recent history of early season struggles.

• Hurricane (WV) “Red Hot” - Red Hot is returning to Beavercreek after not attending in 2025; they attended each year between 2022 and 2024, and each time they placed in the top three. In 2025, they had one of the most successful seasons in their history, winning six out of their seven competitions and winning Best Choreography at all seven. All of this adds up to a group that is in a good position to potentially win Grand Champion, and at the very least compete for both major caption awards. 

• Loveland “By Request” - It’s no secret that Loveland had a rough season in 2025, not winning a competition for the first time in over a decade. Still, as with every group, 2026 is a new season for By Request. Loveland has attended Beavercreek every year since 2022, and they’ve won the competition twice (most recently in 2024); last year, they placed fifth in a stacked field, and the field is just as tough this year. Improving on last year should be the goal going in; how much they improve will be a valuable indicator for their fortunes the rest of this season. 

• Piqua “The Company” - Piqua enters Beavercreek as Ohio’s winningest group of 2026, with a sweep at Van Buren to their name. Despite a couple of years near the top of Ohio, Piqua placed fourth at Beavercreek in 2025, breaking a long streak of podium placements, though they went on to do well later in the season, picking up two wins. This year’s competition at Beavercreek is just as tough (if not tougher) than last year; matching last year’s fourth place would be a good result for The Company, and an improvement would be exceptional.  

• Noblesville (IN) “NHS Singers” - This is Noblesville’s third straight year attending Beavercreek’s competition. They’ve done fairly well at the two they’ve attended, placing third in 2024 and second in 2025. Another podium placement, or even an outright win, is not out of the question for the group this year; however, the competition will be stiff, and thus NHS Singers will likely need an improvement from previous years to earn the Grand Champion title. 

• Solon “Music In Motion” - MIM is Ohio’s hottest group right now, coming off of a 2025 campaign that saw them go undefeated across five competitions; on top of that, they won Best Vocals at all of their competitions. This impressive season, which started with a win at Beavercreek, means the bar is high for Solon at this competition. MIM is one of the better groups here, and is in a good position to win at least a major caption if not win outright. 

There are several groups in large mixed that have potential to win, and it will definitely be exciting to see how the placements in this division shake out. Most of the groups have some history of competing at Beavercreek, which might provide some insight into how Saturday will go, but it really will all depend on the performance each group puts forth (and even then, it will likely be close). At least five groups from this division should make finals (Solon, Noblesville, Piqua, Loveland, and Hurricane); it’s entirely possible that Hamilton or Lebanon earns that last spot, but that’s far from a guarantee given the quality of single-gender groups.