Across the Drum Corps International leaderboard, history was made in 2023.

Between all-time high scores, first-time competitive feats, and breakout placements, corps across the DCI landscape made 2023 a year to remember. Here are some eye-catching examples of first-time achievements made this summer:

1. Blue Devils’ first “three-peat”

Blue Devils’ 2023 DCI World Championship title was the corps’ 21st, continuing to build upon its status atop the all-time list of gold-medalist organizations.

But championship No. 21 brought its own level of history, marking Blue Devils’ first time taking gold in three consecutive competitive seasons; the Concord corps won it all in 2019 and 2022, with 2020 and 2021 in between not featuring any competitive events.

Throughout an illustrious competitive history, the title of “three-peat” has eluded Blue Devils on many occasions prior to 2023. The Concord corps has impressively earned back-to-back championships five other times — dating back to the 1970s — but didn’t achieve back-to-back-to-back status until this summer. The corps now joins The Cadets (‘83-’85) and The Cavaliers (‘00-’02) in the history books as World Class corps to win three consecutive titles.

Blue Devils’ final score of 98.975 in 2023 — about as close to 99 as possible without crossing the coveted threshold — also stands as the fifth-highest score recorded in DCI history.

2. Mandarins’ first top-six finish

For Mandarins, the late 2010s and early 2020s were full of plenty of history. 2018 marked the corps’ first trip to the DCI World Championship Finals as a World Class corps. That year Mandarins broke into the Top 12, landing in 10th place while notching what was then the corps’ highest World Class score ever.

2019 and 2022 saw the Sacramento corps match that 10th-place ranking, all while building upon that same record score. 2023, though, was simply new heights. It marked the corps’ first-ever finish among the top-six World Championship finalists.

3. Colts’ first 90

After a memorable competitive season in 2022, Colts built upon the corps’ newfound success in 2023. The Dubuque, Iowa corps landed among the Top 12 pool of finalists in 2022 for the first time since 2007, and just the third time since 2001.

For Colts, though, history was made well before the final event of the season. August 2 in Centerville, Ohio, Colts set a new all-time best score, tallying 87.700 as compared to the previous high, 2022’s Finals-night score of 87.200.

As the DCI World Championship Prelims got underway August 10, Colts rose up the leaderboard into ninth place — which remained intact through Finals, and matches the corps’ highest placement ever. Colts also earned their first-ever score over 90 points, scoring 90.175 in the Prelims, before pushing that score even higher, 90.263 to the end the 2023 season.

4. Columbians’ pair of firsts

Columbians’ history made in 2023 was twofold.

For the Pasco, Washington corps, 2023 marked its own organizational milestone, as it made its way to Indiana for the first time for a full week of DCI World Championship events.

Columbians didn’t stop there, though. The corps burst onto the World Championship competitive scene, taking an impressive fourth-place Open Class finish, and earning its first-ever spot in the DCI World Championship Semifinals, taking 24th overall. Columbians also took home the honor of “Most Improved” at the DCI Open Class World Championship Finals.

5. Gold’s first caption award

Throughout the past several years, Gold has made plenty of its own history. The corps, which first competed at the World Championships in 2007, earned its first-ever Open Class bronze medal in 2018, before matching that standing in 2019. Then, in 2022, Gold earned its first silver medal, and took home another in 2023.

2023 made history for the southern California corps, though, beyond competitive placements — although Gold did finish among the overall Top 20 for the first time ever. The San Diego corps earned its first-ever Open Class caption award, winning Best Brass Performance at the DCI Open Class World Championship Finals in Marion, Indiana.

6. Southwind’s first Open Class medal

Formerly a World Class corps, Southwind came back from a six-year hiatus in 2014 as an Open Class corps, and has spent the last decade reemerging onto the DCI competitive scene.

After rising through the ranks over the course of several years, the Alabama corps earned its first-ever Open Class medal in 2023, taking bronze. Southwind also appeared at its first DCI World Championship Semifinals since its reemergence, earning 22nd place overall.