SEWARD, Neb. – As announced by the conference on Wednesday (Feb. 12), Concordia University’s Mandi Maser has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year. Maser’s honor came along with the release of GPAC cheer and dance all-conference teams.
Now in her fourth season leading the Bulldog cheer and dance squads, Maser has helped bring stability to the programs. In regards to cheer in particular, Concordia has competed six times in 2020 with its top score being a 63.50 in the dual at Doane on Feb. 5. The Bulldogs placed sixth in cheer at the conference championships held last week in Crete.
Maser has created an atmosphere in which the athletes enjoy coming to practice. Improvement has been apparent over the past few seasons. Says cheer captain Morgan Fritsch, “I think our team is very special just in the fact that the word ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary. Our coaches will come in and they’ll be like, ‘All right, let’s try a new stunt. It’s going to be harder and more difficult.’ We’re like, ‘Let’s get to it.’ We will fail sometimes, but we’ll just keep going until we do get it. We’re all so excited. What I love most about our team is everyone is so flexible and willing to work hard.”
Maser again organized the Concordia Invite that took place on Feb. 1. Both the cheer and dance squads are also preparing for home competitions on Feb. 12 before shifting focus to the NAIA Northwest Regional Qualifier in Sioux City, Iowa, Feb. 28-29.