SEWARD, Neb. – After two weekends of competing at invitationals in neighboring states, the Concordia University, Nebraska Cheer & Dance programs are prepared to host their own event. The Bulldogs will welcome athletes from 10 opposing institutions for the Concordia Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 7. The home invite will feature a cheer competition beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the dance competition to follow at 11 a.m. inside Friedrich Arena. Concordia began hosting a largescale competition each season in 2019.
Competition Info
Concordia Cheer & Dance Day of Duals
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 | Friedrich Arena
--Webcast: Concordia Sports Network
Schedule Outline
9:30 a.m. – Cheer Competition
11:00 a.m. – Dance Competition
12:20 p.m. – Score Announcements / Awards Presentation
Overview
The invitational format is a change from the previous three years when Concordia hosted a duals competition. Concordia’s 2025 Day of Duals featured a total of 28 combined cheer and dance teams in one of the largest competitions held across the entire country. The first ever Concordia Invite was held in 2019 and included seven dance and six cheer squads.
The Bulldogs are led by head coaches Mandi Maser (10th season) for dance and Emilie Ashenbach (third season as HC; seventh season at CUNE) for cheer. With an overhaul to the back end of the scoring system for NAIA cheer and dance still ongoing, the NAIA national leaderboards are currently unavailable. Through three competitions this season, Bulldog Dance is averaging a score of 85.50 and is coming off a school record 87.7 at the Kansas Wesleyan Coyote Classic (resulting in a third-place trophy). Meanwhile, CUNE Cheer improved significantly compared to its first competition and registered a score of 60.16 at the Coyote Classic.
The field of teams at the 2026 Concordia Invite will be made up exclusively of NAIA institutions. The GPAC squads that will be present are Briar Cliff (dance only), College of Saint Mary (dance only), Dordt, Midland, Mount Marty (cheer only), Northwestern and Waldorf (cheer only). Other NAIA institutions represented in the competition will be Benedictine College (Kan.), Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.).
2026 Concordia Dance Competition Scores/Results
Jan. 21 – Def. CSM in dual (83.6)
Jan. 24 – Placed 3rd/8 (85.21) at the Dordt Invite
Jan. 30 – Placed 3rd/9 (87.7) at KWU Classic
2026 Concordia Cheer Competition Scores/Results
Jan. 24 – Placed 8th/8 (51.8) at the Dordt Invite
Jan. 30 – Placed 7th/7 (60.16) at KWU Classic
Prior to Saturday’s Concordia Invite, the Bulldogs will also be at the York University Crown Classic on Friday. That event is scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m. CT. The slate beyond this weekend includes the Northwestern Invitational (Feb. 13-14), the Midland Invitational (Feb. 21), the GPAC Championships (March 6-7) and the NAIA National Championships (March 27-28).
A webcast of York’s Crown Classic can be found here: https://kcacnetwork.com/york/.