Dance

Hometown: Big Springs, Neb.
Alma Mater: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Miranda "Mandi" Maser was officially introduced as Head Competitive Dance and Cheer Coach in July 2016. In January of 2024, Maser took on the title of Competitive Spirit Coordinator as Emilie Ashenbach was named Head Competitive Cheer Coach. Maser continues to oversee both programs and also works as Concordia's Athletic Business Coordinator.

In 2023-24, Maser completed her eighth season leading the cheer and dance programs, which compete in the second semester of each school year and also appear regularly at many other Bulldog athletic events. Named the 2020 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year, Maser's teams have showned consistent improvement from year to year. Highlights from the 2023 campaign included a CIT championship for the dance program and natinonal 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. In previous seasons, Concordia Dance made a big step forward by placing fourth out of 10 teams at the 2020 NAIA Northwest Regional Qualifier.

Then in 2021, the cheer and dance teams improved their average scoring significantly while turning place finishes of fourth in the GPAC for both (fifth in the region for dance). In 2022, the cheer program set a then school standard for highest score in a performance while Shelby Timmerman became the first All-GPAC award winner in Concordia Cheer history. The 2023 teams wound up with five total All-GPAC honorees, including Ryleigh Flesner, an NAIA Second Team All-American. Flesner repeated as an All-American in 2024 while being joined with such accolades by teammates Hanna Bitner and Taylor Larsen. The '24 dance team ranked 10th nationally for scoring average.

Maser, who owns United States All-Star Federation (USASF) credentialing for levels one through five tumbling and stunting as well as membership in the Federation, has held several roles related to dance and cheer instruction. She is certified by The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA).

As artistic director at Pure Movement Dance Institute in Lincoln, Maser helped grow participation from 50 students to approximately 400. While continuing to teach in the studio, she independently contracted additional choreography opportunities in the Lincoln Public Schools system, the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the TADA Theatre as well as additional high schools in central Nebraska. She has choreographed approximately 44 sold out musicals, many of which were regional premieres.

In addition, Maser served as adjunct professor for a fellow GPAC school for four years, instructing dance, specifically, jazz, modern, improvisation, creative movement and tap through the athletic program. She has also choreographed competition routines for local, state and national competitions for teams at Lincoln Public Schools, Crete High School and for high schools in Colorado and Iowa. From November 2014 through July 2016, Maser also worked as office services manager for the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.

Maser holds a bachelor of fine arts in Dance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mandi has a son Sam.

Hometown: Lincoln, Neb.
Alma Mater: Midland University

Emilie Ashenbach joined the Concordia University Cheer and Dance staff beginning with the 2019-20 academic year. In January 2024, Ashenbach was promoted to the position of Head Competitive Cheer Coach. She also continues to assist the Bulldog Dance program. Ashenbach previously spent four years on the Midland University Competitive Cheer team, helping the Warriors win GPAC titles each season from 2013-17. In addition to coaching, Emilie also serves Concordia Athletics as the Athletic Department Ticketing Coordinator.

In the summer of 2021, Ashenbach was promoted from a graduate assistant to a full-time role as Assistant Cheer & Dance Coach. She helped the Bulldogs improve considerably in 2021 when they increased their competition scores significantly compared to the previous seasons. She helped the Bulldogs again improve their performance scores throughout the 2022 and 2023 competition seasons. The cheer and dance teams have continually broken program records for the highest competition scores in Bulldog History. In 2022, the cheer program set a then-school standard for the highest score in a performance, while Shelby Timmerman became the first All-GPAC award winner in Concordia Cheer history. The 2023 teams combined for five All-GPAC honorees, including Ryleigh Flesner, an NAIA Second Team All-American.  The 2024 cheer team again broke the program record for competition score (84.13) and ranked 21st in the NAIA in scoring average.

While a Warrior, Ashenbach twice earned All-America status in cheer. She earned top three finishes at three NAIA National Championships and two NCA National Championships in Daytona, Fla. She graduated from Midland with a bachelor’s of Human Performance Exercise Science and a minor in Coaching. Ashenbach earned a master's in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia.

Emilie is the daughter of Brett and Lisa Ashenbach. She has a sister named Mikaela.