There was no shortage of excitement at the 2023 DCI Southwestern Championship this past weekend. Fans across the nation were gifted with an evening full of powerful performances, record-breaking scores, and another tie when the final scores were revealed at the end of the night. Here's everything you need to know that happened in San Antonio on Saturday:

Everything You Need To Know About DCI 2023

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1. Blue Devils remain undefeated

We've officially hit the halfway point in the 2023 season and the Blue Devils remain unbeaten, extending their unbeaten streak carried over from the 2022 season. The Concord-based corps nabbed a first-place finish at this year's DCI Southwestern Championship with a score of 92.600 thanks in part to sky-high General Effect scores. To add to their success, Blue Devils also managed to set a new high score record in San Antonio with their stellar performance.

While BD may be undefeated overall, there are a few Caption Races that are a battle at every competition...

2. Let's break down the Caption Race

It's been a constant back-and-forth battle for almost every caption these past two weeks, and the results from San Antonio may have been some of the closest and most interesting of the season. At the end of the night, Blue Devils swept the General Effect category and took home first in Visual, while Boston took first in Brass (though Crown took first in Music Analysis) and Bluecoats scraped out another victory in Color Guard. The biggest surprise of the evening? Cavaliers finishing first in Percussion. The Rosemont-based corps has been continuing to claw up the Percussion caption leaderboard in recent weeks, proving that the captions are anyone's to win. Here's how the Caption Race looked on Saturday:

But the season keeps rolling along, and last night's DCI Mesquite show proved that the corps are not even close to letting up on the gas. Just two days after San Antonio, the Caption Race leaderboards are looking quite different:

3. Mandarins and Phantom Regiment tie for 5th

Much anticipation was swirling around who would come out on top when Mandarins and Phantom Regiment faced off for the first time in the 2023 season in San Antonio, and it turns out that the winner was... both ensembles. The two corps tallied an 87.675 - a new season-high for both ensembles.

Mandarins ended up edging out Phantom Regiment in General Effect, while Regiment surged ahead in Music. The pair tied in the Visual caption.

This duo won't meet again until the DCI East Coast Showcase - Lawrence on August 3rd.

4. Pacific Crest places in the top 12

Pacific Crest continues to blaze its way through the 2023 season, securing a 12th-place finish in San Antonio with a score of 80.475. But PC can't let up because Blue Knights are hot on their heels and looking to break back into the top-12 after narrowly missing the cutoff to perform at Finals during the 2022 DCI World Championships. Blue Knights finished Saturday with a score of 80.138 - less than 0.4 points behind Pacific Crest. 

The two have been in a back-and-forth fight for the entire season so far, and recently added in The Academy, Crossmen, and Madison Scouts for competition for a place in Finals this season. Just 3.300 points separate the five corps.

5. Upcoming shows you won't want to miss

Now that we've officially rounded the halfway point in the 2023 season, there are a few key competitions on the horizon that you won't want to miss. Here are our top picks:

The Masters of the Summer Music Games (LIVE on FloMarching)

July 28 | Murfreesboro, TN

Start Time: 7:30pm CT

Competing Ensembles Include:

• Bluecoats
• Blue Devils
• Boston Crusaders
• Carolina Crown
• Phantom Regiment
• The Cadets
• Blue Stars
• Music City

DCI Southeastern Championship (LIVE on FloMarching)

July 29 | Atlanta, GA

Start time: 5:00pm ET

Competing Ensembles Include:

• Blue Devils
• Bluecoats
• Boston Crusaders
• Phantom Regiment
• Carolina Crown
• The Cavaliers
• The Cadets
• Pacific Crest
• Troopers
• Blue Knights
• Spirit of Atlanta
• Music City
• Madison Scouts
• Heat Wave
• Atlanta CV

NightBEAT (LIVE on FloMarching)

July 30 | Winston-Salem, NC

Start Time: 5:00pm ET

Competing Ensembles Include:

• Carolina Crown
• Blue Devils
• Bluecoats
• Mandarins
• Blue Stars
• The Cadets
• Colts
• The Academy
• Crossmen
• Genesis
• Seattle Cascades
• Jersey Surf