Head Coach: Mandi Maser (7th year); 2020 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year 2022 GPAC Finishes: Cheer 4th/8 | Dance 6th/9 2022 NAIA Northwest Finishes: Cheer 4th/8 | Dance 7th/10
Outlook The 2022 season saw Concordia University Competitive Cheer attain the highest scores in the history of the program. That momentum carries the Bulldogs into a 2023 campaign they hope will finish in Ypsilanti, Mich., site of the NAIA National Championships. From 2021 to 2022, Head Coach Mandi Maser’s program improved its average competition score from 69.55 to 73.43. A still-intact school record single performance score of 76.65 came early in February at the Bethel College Invite.
Named the 2020 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year, Maser is ready to begin her seventh season, which is tracking towards being the best yet for Concordia Cheer. The Bulldogs have continued the trend of starting from a better place than they sat a year earlier.
Said Maser, “Not having to start from page one and being able to build upon last year makes a really huge difference. We want to be able to start the season where we ended last year and be able to build on that. The kids have worked really hard in the offseason. They’ve put in a lot of work in the weight room and with their skills.”
The Bulldogs return All-GPAC performer Shelby Timmerman, as well as seven of her teammates who were part of last season's GPAC Championships competition roster. Timmerman made history in 2022 when she became the cheer program’s first ever all-conference award winner. She’s one of the team’s most influential leaders with the type of strength that belies her 5-foot-4 frame. Timmerman is joined on the roster by additional veteran leaders such as Kaitlyn Foley, Brenden Ingram and Sabrina Reed. The overall ability has spiked to a point that Maser expects to have a bigger group of individuals that will compete for all-conference and All-America awards.
Collectively, they helped Concordia achieve significant heights a year ago. The Bulldogs ranked 24th nationally in terms of average score and earned place finishes of second at the Midland Invitational and third at the York Invitational. Their score of 72.04 at the GPAC Championships put them in fourth place. That means Concordia is still chasing the likes of Midland, Doane and Hastings at the top of one of the nation’s best conferences.
The Bulldogs are motivated to keep moving up the ladder. Says Timmerman, “We’ve done a lot of tumbling – our tumbling this year is going to be amazing. So many people have gotten new skills that aren’t just your basic back handsprings. We’re putting a lot on the table. Strength and conditioning has been a huge thing for us. We’re 10 times stronger than we were last year. That’s going to help everything. Normally we start kind of low and it takes throughout the season to build up, but this year, even with the incoming freshmen, it’s been full confidence right away.”
Other returners from last season’s competition lineup include Victoria Perry, Liv Rogers, Bre Romero and Elizabeth Schultz. They will be joined on the mat by talented freshmen such as Ara Maxwell, LaCole Anno, Lauren Stanley and Katie Wilson.
Young or old, experienced or inexperienced, Maser wants everyone to share in leadership roles and in the process of holding one another accountable. It starts with proven performers like Ingram and Timmerman.
“We want everyone to take leadership roles in whatever ways they can,” Maser said. “Some are good leaders competitively or spiritually or in the way they build people up. It’s more of a shared thing. Shelby has taken on that mentality and Brenden has as well. He’s a naturally strong leader as the only male on the team. He’s picked up so many skills that he didn’t think he could get. Shelby leads the team in a lot of different ways – with her encouragement and with her actions. She works really, really hard in the offseason, not just in practice.”
The hard work just might pave a road to nationals come March. That type of achievement remains a standing goal for the program.
Said Maser, “(Coach) Emilie (Ashenbach) and I have really devoted ourselves to building Concordia up to be national contenders for both cheer and dance. We continue to work hard for that every single practice. We are really hoping to get there, and these kids deserve to have that experience. I want them to be able to say they were the first teams to be able to do that for competitive cheer and dance at Concordia.”
Added Timmerman, “It’s all score-based so we constantly talk about things we want to do as the season goes on. We have to get the best scores we can so we can go to nationals. Nationals is the dream. We’re going to try to make that happen this year.”
The competition season will get started on Jan. 18 when the Bulldogs will host Morningside in conjunction with basketball that evening. The program is looking forward to CIT coming up on Jan. 28 and is excited to host the Concordia Duals (featuring 14 total institutions) on Feb. 11. The complete schedule can be found HERE.
Concordia Cheer opens season with program record in dual versus Morningside
Jan. 19, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – There’s never been a better start to a season for Concordia University Competitive Cheer. The Bulldogs were rewarded with a score of 77.2 on Thursday (Jan. 19) as they opened the 2023 season by hosting Morningside inside the PE Center Gym. The visiting Mustangs were up to the challenge in notching a score of 83.1 to win the dual. Concordia is coming off a fourth place GPAC finish in 2022.
This outing provided a starting point for Head Coach Mandi Maser and company. The Bulldogs hope to build upon it as action heats up next week.
Said Maser, “Cheer did a great job overcoming adversity and adjusting last minute to a routine. They got out there and did their best they could in their first competion. We know they have a ton of potential to score much higher throughout the season. It was a good competition to get their nerves out. We have a lot of new freshmen on the floor. It was nice to have them get to feel what the competition is like. We really have high expectations for this team. We’ll get back to practice and get ready for a big week of competition.”
The Bulldogs competed 10 athletes as part of their routine on Saturday. The group includes veteran leaders like Brenden Ingram and Shelby Timmerman. A native of Clatonia, Neb., Timmerman made history last season by earning all-conference honors. Other returners to the mat were Lexi Mack, Victoria Perry, Sabrina Reed, Bre Romero and Elizabeth Schultz. Three freshmen got their first taste of collegiate competition: LaCole Anno, Taylor Larsen and Lauryn Stanley.
Concordia competition roster
· LaCole Anno (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Brenden Ingram (Kearney, Neb.)
· Taylor Larsen (Ravenna, Neb.)
· Lexi Mack (Wilber, 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.)
In the preseason coaches’ poll released on Wednesday, Concordia was picked second behind Midland. The Mustangs appear to be positioned to exceed their conference preseason landing of seventh.
Next on the docket will be a triangular with Hastings and Mount Marty on Jan. 25. The dance competition is slated to get underway at roughly 6:30 p.m. CT (halftime of the women’s basketball game) from Friedrich Arena. The cheer competition will follow at the conclusion of women’s basketball and take place inside the PE Center Gym.
2023 CIT Week Preview: Competitive Cheer
Jan. 23, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – The week of the Concordia Invitational Tournament will be chalk-full of competition for the Concordia University Nebraska Cheer & Dance teams. Prior to the big event, the Bulldogs will welcome Hastings and Mount Marty to Seward for a triangular in conjunction with basketball on Wednesday evening. The CIT cheer and dance competitions will then be held on Saturday morning. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s squads have begun the 2023 season with school record scores.
This Week
Wednesday, Jan. 25 (Dance) vs. Hastings/Mount Marty, 6:30 p.m. (halftime of WBB) --Live Stream (part of WBB broadcast) | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
Wednesday, Jan. 25 (Cheer) vs. Hastings/Mount Marty, 7:30 p.m. (after WBB) --Live Stream (Facebook Live) | Location: PE Center Gym (Seward, Neb.)
Competing Concordias Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA) Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Concordia University Nebraska (CUNE) Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW)
Overview
It’s been a particularly impressive start to the season for Concordia Dance. The Bulldogs have already won two dual meets versus GPAC opponents while posting respective scores of 80.55 and 85.9, totals that both reset the program standard for a single competition. In the early going of 2023, Concordia ranks as the No. 4 team in the NAIA competitive dance in terms of highest scoring average. A team led by senior Katie Birtell even outperformed defending NAIA national champion Morningside in last week’s dual inside Friedrich Arena. The competition roster has included Birtell and returners Aubrey Baumann, Avery Lewis and Maddie Wittstruck – as well as freshmen Ryleigh Flesner, Taylor Larsen and Elise O’Neill.
Paced by returning all-conference honoree Shelby Timmerman, Concordia Cheer earned a score of 77.2 while opening up the competition season versus Morningside on Jan. 19. The Bulldogs were picked second in the GPAC coaches’ preseason poll and have high expectations following a 2022 season that saw them place fourth in the conference. Other returners who were part of last week’s competition were Lexi Mack, Victoria Perry, Sabrina Reed, Bre Romero and Elizabeth Schultz.
The CUNE cheer and dance squads are still looking to take home a CIT trophy for the first time. CIT added cheer and dance competitions beginning in 2018. Concordia University Ann Arbor has won each of the first three CIT cheer competitions (and the 2019 dance competition) while Concordia University Wisconsin has taken the dance championships in 2018 and 2020. This will mark the first time CUNE has ever hosted the CIT cheer and dance competitions. The event was put on hold in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19.
It should be noted that the CIT competitions are not governed by NAIA rules. The scoring system for CIT was devised by coaches of the Concordias to accommodate both NAIA and NCAA schools that participate.