SEWARD, Neb. – It’s championship week for the Concordia University Competitive Cheer and Dance teams. The 2024 GPAC Championship competition (also a group qualifier for dance) will unfold on Friday for dance and on Saturday for cheer. Doane will serve as the host once again with action taking place inside the Haddix Center. Additional details can be found below. The reigning champions from last season are Midland for cheer and Doane for dance.
2024 GPAC Dance Championship/NAIA Northwest Qualifier
Friday, March 8 | 3 p.m. | Haddix Center (Doane campus)
Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/user/doaneathletics/live
Event Schedule – Dance
-Performance times:
3:00 p.m. – Viterbo
3:11 p.m. – Doane
3:22 p.m. – Morningside
3:33 p.m. – Hastings
3:44 p.m. – Dordt
3:55 p.m. – Concordia
4:06 p.m. – Northwestern
4:17 p.m. – Midland
4:28 p.m. – College of Saint Mary
5:59 p.m. – finals begin (order based on preliminary scores)
7:40 p.m. – All-conference auditions
8:20 p.m. – Awards ceremony/score announcements
Leading up to the championship competition, Head Coach Mandi Maser’s dance squad has competed in five separate events with five routines that counted towards the official NAIA scoring system. The Bulldogs’ average competition score for 2023-24 is 80.32, which ranks 11th best in the NAIA. The team’s highest score of the season was an 82.0 (also a school record) at the season opening home triangular. Seniors on this year’s squad include Aubrey Baumann, Avery Lewis, Stephanie Mashuga and Maddie Wittstruck.
2024 competition results
1/20 – 82.0 (triangular vs. CSM/Hastings)
1/27 – Placed 3rd at CIT
2/9 – 76.77 (5th out of 14 at York Invite)
2/10 – 80.43 (dual vs. William Penn)
2/10 – 81.03 (dual vs. Benedictine)
2/17 – 81.4 (3rd of 9 at Dordt Invite)
At the 2023 GPAC Championship/NAIA Northwest Qualifier, the Bulldogs placed sixth with a score of 81.31. The top three in the competition were Doane, Midland and Viterbo. The current top five teams in the GPAC, based on average score, are Midland (85.74), Doane (83.71), Morningside (80.72), Concordia (80.32) and Dordt (73.76).
For those who qualify, the 2024 season will continue at the eighth annual Competitive Cheer and Dance National Championship, scheduled for March 29-30 in Ypsilanti, Mich. For additional information on the national event, check out the NAIA sport home pages: Cheer | Dance.