Head Coach: Mandi Maser (9th season); 2020 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year
2024 GPAC/NAIA Qualifier Finish: 6th/9
2024 All-GPAC: Ryleigh Flesner; Hanna Bitner (HM).
2024 NAIA All-Americans: Hanna Bitner (Second Team); Ryleigh Flesner (Second Team); Taylor Larsen (Third Team).
2024 Average Competition Scores: 80.57 (10th in NAIA)
2025 GPAC Preseason Poll: Tied for 4th
Outlook
The pursuit of the program’s first-ever appearance at the NAIA National Championships continues as the calendar has flipped to 2025. The Concordia University, Nebraska Competitive Dance team narrowly missed out on a chance to take the national stage in 2024. That disappointment will serve as a motivator for a squad that returns a pair of NAIA All-Americans in sophomore Hanna Bitner and junior Taylor Larsen. They are two of four returners from the 2024 GPAC Championships roster.
Head Coach Mandi Maser enters her ninth season leading the Bulldogs, who have lofty aspirations for 2025. Concordia expects to climb the ladder after finishing in sixth place at the 2024 GPAC Championships/NAIA Regional Qualifier.
“It was a big jump,” Maser said of the 2024 team’s stature from a national perspective. “The program has really come a long way in becoming nationally relevant. We had a strong season and were in consideration for an at-large bid to nationals. We were disappointed that we weren’t selected, but that’s kind of the way it rolls. It fuels us to get there this season and achieve that goal that we all have.”
The 2024 team’s average competition score of 80.57 in six routines ranked 10th best in the NAIA (third best among GPAC squads). The season best score of 82.07 occurred at the conference championships. The Bulldogs were credited with a score above 80 in six separate routines as part of a season of major achievement. Bitner and Larsen highlight a group of returnees that includes junior Elise O’Neill and sophomore Kaylee Powell, members of the 2024 GPAC Championships roster. Two seniors, Avery Lewis and Maddie Wittstruck, must be replaced.
Maser says that there will be eight individuals who make up the 2025 competition roster when the team first takes the floor for a dual on Jan. 18. In other words, four of those athletes will be new to the competition roster. The program welcomed in six freshmen when the fall semester opened. They will be tasked with helping the program take that next step forward.
“I was most proud of our team mentality,” said Larsen in looking back at 2024. “We all went into the season with the mentality that we were going to make it to nationals. Even if we didn’t make that goal, ending in the top 10 was a huge accomplishment for our program. We broke a lot of records. We have a lot to be proud of. I think we’re ready to carry that on into this year after coming off that high last year.”
A routine with increased difficulty will need to come together quickly. As O’Neill said, “We don’t have much time before our first competition. We all realize that we don’t have many practices until then … We all come in with the mindset of achieving the ultimate goal and the desire to keep getting better. We all have a positive mindset that way.”
Two of the season’s most significant events will take place inside Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs will host the annual Concordia Day of Duals on Feb. 8 and the 2025 GPAC Cheer and Dance Championships on March 7-8. This will mark the first time the program has ever hosted the conference championships. There will be six total events leading up to the GPAC Championships.
In order to keep up with a conference that keeps getting better, Concordia is again ramping up the difficulty level in its routine. Doane and Midland represented the GPAC at the 2024 NAIA National Championships.
“The difficulty level has increased,” Maser said. “We’re able to do that because we have a group of individuals that have a high level of talent. It comes down to the execution side of things and making sure everyone is on the same page. Everyone comes from somewhere different – different backgrounds, different studios and different ways of training. We can’t just have one dancer standing out, they all have to do it. All eight of them on the floor have to work together to make sure we are putting the best, most competitive routine together.”
When asked about national championships aspirations, Larsen shifted the focus to what the process of attaining such a feat looks like. In mid-January, the Bulldogs are staying grounded in the present.
Said Larsen, “We need to keep that Christ-centered mindset while also keeping our same team mentality that we had last year and push ourselves even further as far as technicality and synchronization with our dancing. I think that will help carry us over that hump this year.”
Along those same lines, Maser commented, “It’s a big motivator (to get to nationals). They know that’s the road that we’re on. They are locked into working as hard as possible to getting the reps and having that consistency. They have all the tools. It’s just about getting to that level now.”
Maser also knows that the Bulldogs will be under the microscope as they look ahead to the Day of Duals and GPAC Championships.
“It’s great to be at home for these large events,” Maser said. “The Day of Duals has built up a reputation for being the biggest competition in the NAIA and a well-run event with high-level competition. It’s a really exciting day for people to support cheer and dance. Being able to host conference puts our facilities in the spotlight and provides a great environment to host a very successful conference.”
O’Neill anticipates a strong 2025 season. The North Platte, Neb., native will be counted upon as an upperclassman leader. Said O’Neill, “I’m looking forward to seeing how we do competition-wise. I’m excited to see our scores and to see what we can do. I’m excited to be with the team and be in a competitive atmosphere and see what our season looks like.”
The first event on the slate is the Jan. 18 home dual versus College of Saint Mary. A week later, the Bulldogs will be headed to the Concordia Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Jan. 25. The complete 2025 competition schedule can be found HERE.