HASTINGS, Neb. – The Concordia University cheer team took the floor at the first ever Great Plains Athletic Conference Cheer and Dance Championships and came away with a fifth-place finish. The event unfolded in front of more than 300 fans inside Lynn Farrell Arena on the Hastings College campus on Saturday (Feb. 11) afternoon.
The Bulldogs were awarded a score of 64.10. Six cheer teams and seven dance teams participated in the championship event. Morningside cheer and Midland dance collected GPAC championships.
First-year head coach Mandi Maser’s cheer team also went head-to-head with two conference foes in duals this season. Concordia defeated Hastings, 74.4 – 71.85, on Jan. 25 and then fell at the hands of Doane, 69.55 – 67.55, on Feb. 8.
The NAIA qualifying events will be held Feb. 24-25. GPAC institutions will compete in the Northwest Grouping at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., on Feb. 24.
The 2017 season marks the first year that NAIA will sponsor an official dance and cheer national championship. The NAIA is the only athletics association to offer national championships in these sports.
2017 GPAC Championships results (cheer)
- Morningside - 78.20
- Hastings - 72.35
- Midland - 67.93
- Briar Cliff - 64.58
- Concordia - 64.10
- Doane - 58.42