2018-19 Dance Schedule/Results

Roster

Date	Event/Opponent	Location	Result
Jan. 19	Doane University Cheer & Dance Invite	Crete, Neb.	3rd out of 4
Jan. 23	Doane University	Seward, Neb. (Walz)	L, 57.75-74.75
Jan. 25-26	Concordia Invitational Tournament	Ann Arbor, Mich.	4th out of 4
Feb. 2	Concordia University Cheer & Dance Invite	Seward, Neb.	6th out of 7
Feb. 6	Morningside College	Sioux City, Iowa	L, 70.75-95.4
Feb. 9	GPAC Cheer & Dance Championships	Hastings, Neb.	6th out of 8
Feb. 22	NAIA North Regional Qualifier	Fremont, Neb.	10th out of 12

2018-19 Roster

Name	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Rachel Deppe	So.	Ankeny, Iowa	Centennial HS
Natalie Dremman	Fr.	O'Fallaon, Mon.	Lutheran HS St. Charles
Ashley Eller	Fr.	Shelby, Neb.	Aquinas HS
Haleigh Fitzsimmons	Fr.	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Lutheran HS
Emma Gaffney	Fr.	Essex, Iowa	Shenandoah HS
Taeva Hoppe	Sr.	Milford, Neb.	Milford HS
Neleigh Lehr	Sr.	Duncan, Neb.	Columbus HS
Michelle Porath	So.	Lexington, Neb.	Homeschooled
Sarah Rogge	Sr.	Milford, Neb.	Milford HS
Kalina Schoenfeld	So.	Carroll, Iowa	Carroll HS
Natalie Sloup	Fr.	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
Tannor Tobler	So.	Ravenna, Neb.	Revenna HS
Janis Wagner	Fr.	Indianapolis, Ind.	Avon HS

Mandi Maser, Head Coach

Bulldog dance finishes third at season's first meet

Jan. 20, 2019

CRETE, Neb. – Head coach Mandi Maser led her cheer and dance teams into competition for the first time in 2019 at Saturday (Jan. 19)’s Doane Invite. In the dance competition, Concordia placed third out of four teams with a score of 61.25. In cheer, the Bulldogs finished third among the three squads present by scoring out at 62.80.

Host Doane and Hastings also competed in the meet. York College appeared in the dance competition exclusively. The Concordia cheer and dance programs are beginning their fifth seasons as varsity athletic programs.

Said Maser, “Both teams did a great job for their first competition. We have to work on consistency and increase some difficulty in our skills to improve scores, but their performances and character they displayed made me proud.”

In both competitions, teams are judged on a variety of categories. In dance, teams are scored in areas such as jazz technique, pom technique, hip hop technique, staging and transitions, team turn sequence and a variety of other criteria. In cheer, the main categories for evaluation are building skills, tumbling/jumping skills and overall routine. Two judges are present for each competition.

The Bulldogs are hoping to improve their position within the GPAC after 2018 conference places finishes of fourth out of seven in cheer and eighth out of nine in dance. Both Concordia squads will be in action at home Wednesday versus Doane before traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., this coming week for the Concordia Invitational Tournament (Jan. 25-26). CUNE will host its on cheer and dance invite inside Walz Arena on Saturday, Feb. 2.

The NAIA will host an official Cheer and Dance National Championship for the third year in a row. The 2019 event will take place in Davenport, Iowa, March 8-9.

Dance finishes fourth at CIT

Jan. 26, 2019

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In conjunction with the Concordia Invitational Basketball Tournament, the cheer and dance squads from the four participating Concordias went up against each other in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday (Jan. 26). The competition marked the second annual CIT cheer and dance competition. The Bulldogs placed third in cheer with a score of 53.25 and fourth in dance with a score of 40.67.

The event at CIT marked the continuation of a busy start to the competition schedule for head coach Mandi Maser’s squads. Both teams went head-to-head with Doane in dual action on Wednesday. The Tigers emerged from Seward with wins in both competitions. CUNE also took part in the Doane Invite on Jan. 19.

Maser’s teams are captained by junior Annie Pico (Mesa, Ariz.) for cheer and sophomore Kalina Schoenfeld (Carroll, Iowa) for dance. They will the Bulldogs into several more events before the 2019 campaign comes to an end. Up next, CUNE will host its own invite next Saturday (Feb. 2) inside Walz Arena.

The Bulldog cheer and dance teams also appear regularly at many other sporting events such as football, basketball, volleyball and wrestling events.

2019 CIT place finishes

CHEER
1. Concordia Ann Arbor
2. Concordia Chicago
3. Concordia Nebraska
4. Concordia Wisconsin

DANCE
1. Concordia Ann Arbor
2. Concordia Wisconsin
3. Concordia Chicago
4. Concordia Nebraska

Bulldogs to host Cheer & Dance Invite on Saturday

Jan. 30, 2019

SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University cheer and dance programs are getting set to host their own invite featuring seven dance squads and six cheer teams. The Concordia Invite is slated to begin at 1 p.m. CST from Walz Arena on Saturday. It will mark the largest cheer and dance competition ever hosted by Bulldog cheer and dance.

Head coach Mandi Maser’s squads began the competition season on Jan. 19 when they took part in the Doane Invite. Both Concordia teams also dualed Doane on Jan. 23 with the cheer team getting edged out by a 65.25 to 64.25 final score. The Tigers also won the dance competition, 74.75 to 57.75. Additionally, the Bulldogs competed against the other Concordias at last week’s Concordia Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. (third place in cheer; fourth in dance).

The order for Saturday’s competitions are listed below. All scores will be announced at approximately 3:45 p.m. CST. The entire event will be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network.

Maser’s teams are captained by junior Annie Pico (Mesa, Ariz.) for cheer and sophomore Kalina Schoenfeld (Carroll, Iowa) for dance. Following Saturday’s home invite, Concordia will also be in action in a dual at Morningside on Feb. 6. The GPAC Championships are set for Feb. 9 in Hastings. Midland is the defending conference champion in both cheer and dance.

Concordia Invite – Feb. 2, 2019

Dance Competition – 1 p.m.
1. Northwestern
2. Midland
3. College of Saint Mary
4. Dordt
5. Doane
6. Concordia
7. Hastings

Cheer Competition – 2:30 p.m.
1. Hastings
2. Concordia
3. Doane
4. Midland
5. Northwestern
6. Briar Cliff

Dance takes sixth while hosting Concordia Invite

Feb. 2, 2019

SEWARD, Neb. – In the largest cheer and dance competition ever hosted by Concordia University, the Bulldogs welcomed six dance and five cheer opponents to Walz Arena. Head coach Mandi Maser’s squad placed sixth out of seven in dance and sixth out of six in cheer as part of Saturday (Feb. 2)’s contests. Concordia posted scores of 63.0 in dance and 60.2 in cheer. All participating teams are affiliated with the GPAC.

Maser’s programs also used the afternoon to honor six seniors: Elizabeth Frakes, Kennedy Garner, Taeva Hoppe, Neleigh Lehr, Sarah Rogge and Chelsea Willard.

The competition on Saturday marked the first performances for the Bulldogs since taking part in last week’s Concordia Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. While there, CUNE placed third in cheer and fourth in dance. The Bulldogs also appear regularly at other sporting events such as basketball, football, volleyball and wrestling.

Bulldog cheer and dance will be back in action on Wednesday when they dual at Morningside. It will mark the second dual of the season against a GPAC opponent. Both squads hosted Doane on Feb. 2.

Dance drops dual at Morningside; GPAC up next

Feb. 7, 2019

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In their final outings prior to the GPAC Cheer and Dance Championships, the Concordia University programs trekked to Sioux City, Iowa, for duals that took place on the Morningside campus on Wednesday (Feb. 6). Bulldog cheer fell by a score of 83.75 – 66.75 while Concordia dance dropped its competition with the Mustangs, 95.4 – 70.75.

Head coach Mandi Maser’s squad have gone head-to-head in duals with conference rivals Doane and Morningside. The Bulldogs have also competed at three invites this season: the Doane Invite (Jan. 19), the Concordia University Invitational (Jan. 25-26) and the Concordia Cheer & Dance Invitational (Feb. 2).

Concordia’s cheer score of 66.75 was an improvement from the 60.2 it posted at its own invite. The score of 70.75 produced by the dance team was also a significant uptick from the 63.0 score it turned in at the Concordia Invite. Maser’s teams are captained by junior Annie Pico (Mesa, Ariz.) for cheer and sophomore Kalina Schoenfeld (Carroll, Iowa) for dance.

Next up for the Bulldogs is the GPAC championships in Hastings, Neb., on Saturday. The cheer competition is scheduled to begin at 12:10 p.m. CST with the dance competition set to start at 1:30 p.m. Concordia’s scheduled times are 12:58 p.m. for cheer and 1:54 p.m. for dance. For more details on the GPAC championships, click HERE.

Midland will also host an NAIA North Regional Qualifier in Fremont, Neb., on Friday, Feb. 22.

Dance places sixth at GPAC championships

Feb. 9, 2019

HASTINGS, Neb. – The Concordia University cheer and dance teams went to nearby Hastings, Neb., while competing in the 2019 GPAC Cheer & Dance Championships on Saturday (Feb. 9). The Bulldogs placed in a tie for sixth in dance (59.17) and seventh in cheer (56.58). The GPAC features seven cheer and eight dance squads.

The GPAC championships marked the fourth invite this season for head coach Mandi Maser’s squads. A week earlier, the Bulldogs hosted the Concordia Invitational, which was the largest cheer and dance event ever hosted on campus. Concordia has also gone up against Doane and Morningside in dual meets. Maser’s teams are captained by junior Annie Pico (Mesa, Ariz.) for cheer and sophomore Kalina Schoenfeld (Carroll, Iowa) for dance.

Next up on the competition schedule is the NAIA North Regional Qualifier in Fremont, Neb., on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Dance places 10th at NAIA Northwest Qualifier

Feb. 23, 2019

FREMONT, Neb. – In what turned out to be the final competitions of the season, the Concordia University cheer and dance squads competed at the NAIA Northwest Qualifier hosted in Fremont, Neb., by Midland on Friday (Feb. 22). In dance, the Bulldogs placed 10th out of 12 teams with a score of 61.17. In cheer, Concordia placed 13th out of 14 squads with a score of 48.69.

The competition season began back on Jan. 19 for head coach Mandi Maser’s programs, which are captained by junior Annie Pico (Mesa, Ariz.) for cheer and sophomore Kalina Schoenfeld (Carroll, Iowa) for dance.

The NAIA Northwest Qualifier included athletes from eight GPAC institutions as well as performers from Bethel University, Loyola University, Martin Methodist College, the University of Mobile, Point University, Union College and Waldorf University. The event included a preliminary round and then a final round. The final scores were calculated by weighting the final round score as 75 percent of the total and the prelims as 25 percent of the total.

Throughout 2018-19, the Bulldogs competed in big competitions such as the Concordia Invitational Tournament and the GPAC Championships. Concordia also hosted its own invite on Feb. 2. At the conference championships, the Bulldogs placed sixth in dance and seventh in cheer. The teams also appear regularly at other sporting events such as basketball, football, volleyball and wrestling.

Six seniors will graduate and move on from the cheer and dance programs: Elizabeth Frakes, Kennedy Garner, Taeva Hoppe, Neleigh Lehr, Sarah Rogge and Chelsea Willard.

Dance lands three Bulldogs on Scholar-Athlete list

Mar. 11, 2019

2019 NAIA Dance Scholar-Athletes

SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University dance team landed a trio of student-athletes on the 2019 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes honor roll, as announced by the NAIA on Friday (March 8). All three honorees are seniors: Taeva Hoppe, Neleigh Lehr and Sarah Rogge.

In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended two full years as a non-transfer or one full year as a transfer. A total of 104 competitive cheer student-athletes across the nation were named 2019 Scholar-Athletes by the NAIA.

Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,429 and counting. The Bulldogs have been a regular national leader for both scholar-athletes and scholar-teams and are coming off a 2017-18 academic year that resulted in 77 more scholar-athletes and 20 scholar-teams (third most in the nation). Also in 2017-18, seven Bulldog student-athletes garnered both CoSIDA Academic All-District and CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades.

2019 Concordia Dance Scholar-Athletes