SEWARD, Neb. – In perhaps the largest cheer and dance competition held nationally throughout the NAIA landscape, the Bulldogs welcomed 15 cheer and 15 dance squads to Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Feb. 10). As part of the Concordia Day of Duals, the Concordia Competitive Cheer team earned dual victories over NAIA foes Columbia College (Mo.) and William Woods University (Mo.). The Bulldogs posted scores of 80.47 and 84.13, respectively. The latter score broke the school record. Concordia turned in totals that ranked inside the top five in both rounds of the event.
Dual Scores:
· Concordia 80.47, Columbia 49.87
· Concordia 84.13, William Woods 61.28
Head Coach Emilie Ashenbach’s squad entered the weekend ranked 10th nationally for average scoring. The Bulldogs will get a boost from their season high performance on Saturday.
“Today overall went off with a bang,” Ashenbach said. “The environment was a blast. Our parents really brought the spirit and I loved seeing all the bulldog love in our stands. As for our performances, the cheer team’s confidence soared, undeterred by a few hiccups in the first performance. Their second performance blew the roof off the place, a testament to their hard work and dedication.”
After placing third at the York Invitational on Friday, Concordia put up even higher scores on Saturday. In round two, the Bulldogs trailed only three teams, Oklahoma City University (94.5), Midland (92.18) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) (84.35). Concordia’s score of 84.13 broke the previous school record of 83.63 that had been set at the 2023 GPAC Cheer Championships. The 10 Bulldogs that contributed to that record are listed below.
Not only did the Day of Duals include a series of duals, the top three overall scoring teams were rewarded with trophies. The overall team champions were Midland in cheer and Grand View in dance.
Following the competitions, the Bulldogs honored the senior class. Between cheer and dance, Concordia has nine seniors: Aubrey Baumann, Avery Lewis, Stephanie Mashuga and Maddie Wittstruck for dance and Kayla Johnson, Victoria Perry, Bre Romero, Elizabeth Schultz and Shelby Timmerman.
Saturday competition roster:
· LaCole Anno (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Kaitlyn Foley (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Bri Hoyle (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Kaylnn Jeardoe (Beatrice, Neb.)
· Lexi Mack (Wilber, Neb.)
· Ara Maxwell (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Bre Romero (Elmwood, Neb.)
· Lauryn Stanley (Big Spring, Neb.)
· Mya Stover (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Shelby Timmerman (Clatonia, Neb.)
2024 competition results
1/20 – 83.30 (dual vs. Hastings)
1/27 – Placed 2nd at CIT
2/9 – 75.02 (3rd out of 14)
2/10 – 80.47 (dual vs. Columbia)
2/10 – 84.13 (dual vs. William Woods)
Up next for Concordia Cheer & Dance will be the Dordt Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 17. The event is slated to get started at 11 a.m. CT from Sioux Center, Iowa. It will be the final competition prior to the GPAC Championships (March 8-9).