SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Competitive Cheer team saved its best performances for the 2023 GPAC Cheer Championships held in Crete, Neb., on Saturday (Feb. 25). The Bulldogs turned in the two highest performance scores in program history as part of the event – 82.53 in the preliminaries and 83.63 in the finals. Concordia’s total score of 83.36 landed it in third place behind only Midland (88.92) and Northwestern (86.25).
Head Coach Mandi Maser’s squad entered the championship event ranked 30th nationally in scoring average (76.97). The Bulldogs gave that number a boost on Saturday.
Said Maser, “The cheer team did an awesome job today. They all gave 110 percent for their team. Em (Coach Emilie Ashenbach) and I are beyond proud of this crazy group of athletes we love so much. They have changed the culture of Concordia Cheer to be what we have been striving for the past four years. The set goals and work to accomplish them. This team was led by outstanding athletes all season. Brenden, Sabrina, Shelby, Tori, Lizzie, Bre, Lexi and Kaitlyn all contributed their strengths each and every practice and competition. Our talented freshman gave us the boost Bulldog Cheer needed. LaCole, Lauryn, Ara and Katie exceeded expectations. The spots and alternates were there every practice to contribute to improvements, increase difficulty and help coach us to success. Thank you, Bulldog Nation, for cheering on this team.”
The team’s scores in the prelims and the finals both exceeded the previous program record total of 82.38 that was put on the board at last week’s Dordt Invite. Compared to last year’s GPAC Championships, Concordia moved up the ladder one spot and far surpassed its 2022 conference score of 72.04. Individually, Shelby Timmerman earned All-GPAC honors for the second year in a row. Her performances during individual auditions on Saturday were rewarded with honorable mention accolades.
The team’s competition roster is included below. The seniors include Brenden Ingram and Sabrina Reed. Collectively, the group produced four scores in the 80s during the month of February while taking the program up a notch from where it sat in 2022.
Concordia GPAC competition roster
· LaCole Anno (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Kaitlyn Foley (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Brenden Ingram (Kearney, Neb.)
· Lexi Mack (Wilber, Neb.)
· Ara Maxwell (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Victoria Perry (Shelby, Neb.)
· Sabrina Reed (Crete, Neb.)
· Bre Romero (Elmwood, Neb.)
· Elizabeth Schultz (Seward, Neb.)
· Lauryn Stanley (Big Spring, Neb.)
· Shelby Timmerman (Clatonia, Neb.)
· Katie Wilson (Cozad, Neb.)
2023 Competition Scores/Results
1/19 – 77.2 (dual vs. Morningside)
1/25 – 74.25 (dual vs. Hastings)
1/28 – 2nd place (CIT)
2/3 – 70.60 (3rd place at Doane Invite)
2/10 – 82.03 (4th place at York Crown Classic)
2/11 – 72.45 / 79.7 (duals vs. Kansas Wesleyan/Columbia)
2/18 – 82.38 (2nd place at Dordt Invite)
2/25 – 83.36 (3rd place at GPAC Championships)
The teams that qualify will advance to compete at the 2023 NAIA Competitive Cheer & Dance National Championship held in Ypsilanti, Mich., March 10-11.