CRETE, Neb. – The 2022 season concluded on Friday (Feb. 25) for the Concordia University Competitive Dance team. The Bulldogs produced a total score of 67.99 and placed seventh out of 10 teams at the 2022 GPAC Dance Championship/NAIA Northwest Qualifier held in Crete, Neb., on the Doane campus. Concordia finished sixth among the nine GPAC teams at the event, which also included Viterbo University (Wis.).
Head Coach Mandi Maser’s competed at eight separate events throughout the season and performed a total of 12 times in 2022. The team’s highest score of 70.47 was achieved at the York College Invitational on Feb. 11. On Friday, the Bulldogs earned a score of 66.87 in the preliminary round and then 68.37 in the final round. The prelims performance was weighted as 25 percent and the finals performance as 75 percent of the final total score.
Said Maser, “The Bulldog Dance team performed both rounds very well tonight! Katie Anderson was once again our standout performer and received honorable mention GPAC All-Conference honors. We also had a great performance from Haleigh Fitzsimmons, our graduating senior. She has been a great leader for this team the past four years and that culminated tonight. The dancers met the challenge proposed to them to take their first score and increase it in the final round. They are a dynamic, dedicated group of dancers and we are so proud of how much they grew this season! We are already planning next season with each of these athletes involved in the conversation. They are building a program to be proud of and they perfectly represent Concordia. I am blessed to coach such an amazing group of young adults and we all look forward to next season!”
The Concordia competition team on Friday included the following student-athletes:
· Katherine Anderson (Columbus, Neb.)
· Aubrey Baumann (Chester, S.D.)
· Haleigh Fitzsimmons (Lincoln, Neb.)
· Kenna Holtzen (Stromsburg, Neb.)
· Madison Koch (Doniphan, Neb.)
· Avery Lewis (Seward, Neb.)
· Lizbeth Vargas-Tapia (Omaha, Neb.)
· Maddie Wittstruck (Milford, Neb.)
Below is the complete list of scores the Bulldogs have achieved in 2022. As part of the campaign, Concordia hosted two home competitions that coincided with basketball games and put on the Concordia Cheer & Dance Duals. Two of the team’s leaders all season were upperclassmen Katie Anderson and Haleigh Fitzsimmons.
Competition scores in 2022
Jan. 19 – 63.85
Jan. 26 – 63.55
Jan. 27 – 69.9
Jan. 28 – 69.73
Feb. 4-5 – 55.9 | 61.72 | 61.38
Feb. 11 – 70.47
Feb. 19 – 68.25 | 72.90
Feb. 25 – 66.87 | 68.37
The NAIA will host its fifth annual Cheer and Dance National Championship in Ypsilanti, Mich., on March 11-12. Qualifiers will be announced next week.