SEWARD, Neb. – A restructuring of the coaching roles within the Bulldog Competitive Cheer and Dance programs has been announced by the Concordia University, Nebraska Athletic Department. Effective Jan. 2, 2024, Emilie Ashenbach has been promoted to Head Competitive Cheer Coach while Mandi Maser will continue to serve as Head Competitive Dance Coach and also take on the role of Competitive Spirit Coordinator.In addition, Maser will assist the cheer program and retain her position as Concordia’s Athletic Business Coordinator and Ashenbach will assist the dance program and remain the Athletic Ticketing Coordinator.
Together, Maser and Ashenbach have collaborated on programs that have made significant strides in recent years. A native of Big Springs, Neb., Maser began her tenure at Concordia in the summer of 2016. Ashenbach (Lincoln, Neb.) joined Maser in Seward prior to the start of the 2019-20 academic year. In her own collegiate career, Ashenbach twice earned All-America honors as a cheer athlete at Midland.
Highlights from the 2023 campaign included a CIT championship for the dance program (first in school history) and national rankings (in terms of average competition score) of 13th in dance (81.47) and 26th in cheer (77.80). As part of the season, both squads broke school records for competition scores at a single event and dance came up just short of qualifying for the national championships. At the 2023 GPAC Championship/NAIA Qualifier events, cheer placed third and dance placed sixth. Individually, four Bulldog dancers earned All-GPAC awards and one cheer athlete garnered an all-conference honor. As a freshman, Ryleigh Flesner landed on the 2023 NAIA Second Team All-America list.
The inaugural season for Concordia Competitive Cheer and Dance occurred in 2014-15. In the time since then, Maser and Ashenbach have helped grow the program rosters in terms of both quality and quantity. On a national scale, the NAIA first sponsored official cheer and dance national championships in 2017.
The 2024 Concordia Competitive Cheer and Dance seasons are scheduled to get underway on Saturday, Jan. 20 in conjunction with home basketball that evening. The complete schedules can be found via the links below.
Statements:
Devin Smith, Director of Athletics
The Bulldog Competitive Cheer and Competitive Dance programs roster sizes grew significantly, and their respective performances have greatly improved within the conference under the guidance of Coach Mandi Maser. Athletic Leadership values our staff members, thus we are thrilled to promote both Maser and Ashenbach into these new roles with a vision of pursuing excellence spiritually, academically and competitively. Emilie is ready for this leadership role opportunity as she demonstrates a commitment to CUNE values and Mandi will continue to optimize all resources available for chasing championships. Collectively, we are looking forward to this new path for nurturing highly dedicated, extremely motivated and incredibly inspired people who glorify God in all we do!
Mandi Maser, Competitive Spirit Coordinator and Head Competitive Dance Coach
Competitive Cheer and Competitive Dance have grown into amazing representations of what Concordia Athletics is all about. I am very proud to have led both teams for the past eight seasons. However, as both programs have grown, we are thrilled for Emilie Ashenbach to take on a new leadership role. Emilie came to the Bulldog Nation as a graduate assistant and has demonstrated the skills and readiness to now lead the competitive cheer team. I have the utmost confidence in her abilities, and I look forward to continuing as the Head Competitive Dance Coach, along with the additional oversight role of Competitive Spirit Coordinator. This is an exciting time for Bulldog Competitive Cheer and Competitive Dance!
Emilie Ashenbach, Head Competitive Cheer Coach and Athletic Ticketing Coordinator
I am thrilled about the opportunity to serve as the Head Cheer Coach and Assistant Dance Coach. I'm excited to bring my passion for cheerleading to new heights and lead the team towards excellence. My vision is to foster team unity, develop skills and create a positive and empowering environment. I look forward to instilling a sense of camaraderie, discipline and continuous improvement, elevating our performance standards and creating a legacy of success and sportsmanship within the team.