SEWARD, Neb. – The most significant action of the 2026 season is yet to come for Concordia University, Nebraska Cheer and Dance. All league teams are bracing themselves for the 2026 GPAC Championships scheduled for Friday and Saturday (March 6-7) at Northwestern. The championship event moves to Orange City, Iowa, after the Bulldogs hosted the GPAC meet in 2025. Head Coach Mandi Maser’s squad is slotted third in the pecking order for the 2026 GPAC Championships and will take the dance floor at 10:20 a.m. CT on Saturday.
2026 GPAC Dance Championships
Saturday, March 7 | 10 a.m. | Bultman Center (Orange City, Iowa)
Live Stream: https://www.gpacnetwork.com/
Event Schedule – Dance
-Prelims performance times:
10:00 a.m. – Dordt
10:10 a.m. – College of Saint Mary
10:20 a.m. – Concordia
10:30 a.m. – Midland
10:40 a.m. – Briar Cliff
10:50 a.m. – Morningside
11:00 a.m. – Doane
11:10 a.m. – Hastings
11:20 a.m. – Northwestern
-Finals performance times (based on prelims scores):
12:30 p.m. – ninth place
12:40 p.m. – eighth place
12:50 p.m. – seventh place
1:00 p.m. – sixth place
1:10 p.m. – fifth place
1:20 p.m. – fourth place
1:30 p.m. – third place
1:40 p.m. – second place
1:50 p.m. – first place
2:20 p.m. – GPAC All-Conference recognition
2:30 p.m. – Awards ceremony/score announcements
Leading up to the championship competition, Head Coach Mandi Maser’s dance squad has competed in eight events. The Bulldogs enjoyed a particularly thrilling weekend on Feb. 6-7 when they celebrated championships at the York Crown Classic and the Concordia Invite. A program record score of 93.33 was achieved at the Concordia Invite and allowed the Bulldogs to knock off defending national champion Midland. Maser’s squad has placed third or better at six of seven invites throughout the 2026 season. Concordia currently ranks 12th nationally with a scoring average of 87.57. The team is captained by seniors Taylor Larsen and Elise O’Neill.
2026 Competitions
Jan. 21 – Def. CSM in dual (83.66)
Jan. 24 – Placed 3rd/8 (85.21) at Dordt Invite
Jan. 30 – Placed 3rd/9 (87.7) at KWU Classic
Feb. 6 – Placed 1st/14 (87.33) at York Crown Classic
Feb. 7 – Placed 1st/8 (93.33) at Concordia Invite
Feb. 13 – Placed 5th/10 (87.70) at Northwestern Invite (Day 1)
Feb. 14 – Placed 3rd/9 (87.87) at Northwestern Invite (Day 2)
Feb. 21 – Placed 2nd/7 (87.79) at Midland Invite
At the 2025 GPAC Championships, the Bulldogs placed fourth while hosting the event inside Friedrich Arena. Concordia earned scores of 82.4 in the prelims and 86.0 in the finals for a total score of 85.1. The top three place finishers were Midland, Doane and Morningside. GPAC All-Conference awards were earned by first teamers Hanna Bitner and Taylor Larsen and by third teamers Elise O’Neill, Kaylee Powell and Bianca Romshek. Larsen was also named an NAIA Second Team All-American. All-conference honors are awarded based on individual performances pre-recorded on video that are then viewed by the GPAC Championship judges. Since the GPAC began hosting a conference championship/qualifier in 2017, Concordia’s highest place finish was fourth accomplished three times (2020, 2021 and 2025).
The hopeful final destination on the 2026 journey for all NAIA cheer and dance teams is Topeka, Kan., site of the 2026 NAIA Competitive Cheer & Dance National Championship. Official national qualifiers are scheduled to be announced at 6:30 p.m. CT on March 16. The national championship will then take place March 27-28. For additional information on the national event, check out the NAIA sport home pages: Cheer | Dance.