SEWARD, Neb. – After two years as a graduate assistant coach, Emilie Ashenbach has been promoted to a full-time role within the Concordia University Athletic Department. As of late July, Ashenbach began her position as Assistant Cheer & Dance Coach/Athletic Department Ticket Coordinator. The Lincoln, Neb., native will continue to work under Cheer & Dance Head Coach Mandi Maser.
Ashenbach becomes the first full-time assistant coach in the history of the cheer and dance programs, which began their first season of competitive performances in 2014-15. Maser will enter her sixth season as head coach in 2021-22.
Said Ashenbach, “I am excited to learn from everyone within the athletic department. I am also excited to continue my role as an assistant cheer and dance coach. I will be able to utilize my master’s degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration as well as my bachelor's in Human Performance Exercise Science. Moving forward our goal as a coaching staff is to elevate the cheer and dance teams in both game day and competition divisions. Training student-athletes to push themselves and achieve new goals is by far the best reward as a coach. I look forward to working with the new recruits and veteran members to cultivate a positive community here at Concordia. Go Dogs!”
Added Maser, “What excites me about Emilie becoming a full-time staff member of Bulldog Athletics is that she brings so much energy, passion and joy to our student-athletes! She embodies the values of Concordia University, Nebraska and is such a great leader and mentor to our students. She is very passionate about coaching and driven to be a part of Bulldog Cheer and Dance as we continue to grow and become a competitive force in these sports. Emilie has helped to improve the programs by 100 percent devotion. She helped to develop workouts and organize practices alongside me to improve our student-athletes each practice and gain that competitive edge we have been looking for. Emilie is a blessing and huge part of our program and we are so grateful for the continued support of our athletic administration to grow our programs and continue to pursue excellence.”
Ashenbach earned her bachelor’s degree from Midland University, where she twice earned recognition as an NAIA All-American. She served as a team captain each of her four years as a member of the Warrior cheer team. She then immediately began her coaching career with the Bulldogs and has helped elevate the cheer and dance programs. In her additional duty as Athletic Department Ticket Coordinator, Ashenbach will oversee online and in-person ticketing and will train game day admission staff.
In 2020-21, both the cheer and dance squads enjoyed their best seasons since becoming official varsity sports at Concordia. One of the major highlights last season occurred at the Concordia Cheer & Dance Invitational when both Bulldog squads placed second (out of six in cheer and out of eight in dance). Throughout the campaign, Concordia earned consistently higher scores than it had in any previous season. The season concluded at the GPAC Championships/NAIA Northwest Qualifier when both squads placed fourth in the GPAC. The 2020-21 teams were captained by junior Josie O’Laughlin and senior Cora Rhode in cheer and Haleigh Fitzsimmons and Michelle Porath in dance.